The City is at War
by LoquitorLatinae
Summary: Squall Leonhart's sole mission in life now is to protect his brother Sora, and he'll do anything to accomplish his goal. Only this time he signed up for more than he bargained for. AU, eventual LeonCloud
1. Chapter 1

Alright! Well, dudes, it was faster than I expected, but I have a new story idea! I'm also playing around with my writing style this time, we'll have to see if you notice. So yeah, entirely new alternate universe, entirely new story! I hope you guys like this one. ^^ Can't wait to hear what you think!

O

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Chapter 1

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"_Are you sure you want to do this Squall?"_

_Squall halted just as his hand was reaching for the doorknob, a quiet breath leaving him before he turned around and gave his parents a tight smile, "I'll be fine."_

_His mother's arms were crossed over her chest as if trying to hold herself together, a sign Squall had learned long ago meant that she was anxious, "Squall, we all know that money is tight but we'll find some way to put you through school. I, I can find a second job and-"_

_Pulling the strap of his duffle bag further onto his shoulder, Squall shook his head, his bangs falling a bit into his face, "No, Mom. This will work out. My contract is only for two years, and after that, the military is going to foot my college bill. You have…other things to worry about besides me."_

_His gaze flickered toward the back of the house where his brother's room was. Sora, only twelve years old, had just developed a sudden serious medical problem. He didn't know what it was, but the tests to figure that out alone were costing his parents a small fortune. He needed to go to college so that he could get a better job but to do that he needed money. Money they just didn't have. After high school, he had spent three years trying to settle down into a good job, but in their economy no one would hire him for anything but low-paying physical labor. All of the money he had built up was already nearly depleted from their recent hospital bills and living costs. But he wasn't willing to make his parents pay for his education, especially not when he had another option available to him._

_His mother's eyes fell closed at his words and his father stepped forward, "I can tell you're set on this. Just," the man let out a sigh and reached over to rest his hand against the side of Squall's face, "just be careful. Having one son in danger has been torture, so I know having two in danger will be hell. Take care of yourself, alright?"_

_Squall felt his throat closing up a little, his grip tightening on his bag as he gave a small nod, managing a small, strained, "I will."_

"_And, despite how much I may disagree with your decision, I _am_ proud of you. And," his father paused for a moment to regain his voice. Squall didn't dare look up; he didn't think he could manage to keep control of his emotions if he were to see the ones in his father's eyes. "And know that we love you, and that you had better write as much as you can, or else we'll come after you."_

_Despite the torrent of emotions inside he was unable to help a small smirk from slipping out from the mess, "Alright."_

_Taking a deep breath, his father was about to continue when a door back inside the house slammed open, a small shout ringing out accompanied by the sound of someone falling to the ground. A moment later, Sora stumbled out from around the corner of the hallway and, still flushed with a fever, threw himself at his older brother._

_Catching him easily, Squall lifted the boy into a quick hug, his failing athletic body trembling in his grasp, "Squall, you were going to leave without saying good-bye!"_

_Biting his lip, he ruffled Sora's hair before placing a quick familial kiss on his forehead, "Didn't want to wake you, Sor. But now that you're awake, I guess I can. Be good for Mom and Dad, alright? Or else I'll have to come back and knock some sense into you."_

"_I will! I will…but you'll come back soon, right?"_

"…_As soon as I can."_

_Sora took a small breath, his large blue eyes wide and his face fell to look at the ground. He was young but even he could hear the white lie and tell that Squall meant he was going to be gone for a while. Determination suddenly swelled up in his face and he tilted his chin back up, "Alright! By the time you come back, I won't be sick anymore so don't worry about me!"_

_Squall let out a small chuckle, "If you say so, I'll try not to…" Releasing his little brother, he straightened up, "But you should go back to bed and stop worrying so much yourself. I'll be back."_

"_Promise?"_

_Squall smiled a little, giving his family a small wave before reaching out for the doorknob again, this time turning it and stepping passed the threshold, "Ya. I promise."_

Leaning back against the shattered exoskeleton to what used to be a house, Squall held his breath, his rifle tucked tightly against his chest as the sweat running down from underneath his helmet drew pale lines in the dirt that coated his face. The sound of a firefight split the night, the explosions of light coming from the barrels of the guns lighting up the smoke-filled air as sirens wailed somewhere in the distance.

Seeing an opportunity, he suddenly lurched forward and ran over to where he had seen one of his comrades disappear behind another broken piece of wall. The man jumped as Squall rounded the corner but instantly relaxed, recognizing the identical uniform before the face. "L-leonhart, you scared the shit out of me…"

Squall grit his teeth as he recognized the voice, "Almasy, what are you doing?" He and the other man had been what could most accurately be described as rivals the moment both had been promoted into the elite SeeD unit, although they would both admit a grudging respect for the other if forced. Their animosity had peaked during a training exercise a few months ago; they had ended up scaring each other's faces and their superior finally stepped up and forced them to get over their issues. That had basically consisted of the two of them being locked in confinement together until they managed to reach an unenthusiastic truce.

"I got hit."

"What?"

Seifer scowled and thrust his arm under Squall's nose, a bullet hole clearly burnt into the fabric over his bicep, blood blossoming out from the wound and trailing down to the fingertips of his gloved hand, "I. Got. Hit. I can't hold my damn gun steady."

Squall started at the sight then grabbed his radio from his shoulder, "You need to get back to HQ or else it will get infected."

"Hold up, what are you doing?"

Ignoring him, Squall clicked the walkie on, a small stream of static filling the air as he spoke into it, "Leonhart to Dincht, do you copy?"

There was a moment of silence before a voice flickered back, "Yo, Leon, Dincht here. 'Sup?"

Rolling his eyes at the other's use of the nickname he had been given since he had entered the military, Squall continued, "Zell, Almasy's been hit, I'm taking him back to HQ."

"With you two down, we'll have to move out too."

"Will you be alright?"

"With me leading? Of course! See you back at home, buddy!"

Looking back over at Seifer as Zell's voice faded out, Squall frowned as he saw the other man leaning back against the wall with his eyes shut. A quick smack to the helmet made his blue eyes fly open again and they turned, burning with annoyance toward his reluctant rescuer, "What?"

"I don't care how much blood you lost, you're going to stay awake. Can you walk?"

"I'm not letting you carry me if that's what you mean. I'll be fine, just cover our backs and make sure no one shoots us full of lead."

Frown deepening, Squall struggled to remind himself that Seifer was wounded and therefore probably in pain, and probably particularly ill-tempered because of it. It was still really hard not to turn around and give him a punch to the jaw as Seifer harped on him the whole way back, Squall even having to give him a hand up as he nearly passed out half-way there. The trip was tense, since at any moment they could be discovered and shot, and the extra stress did nothing for Squall's nerves.

By the time they managed to stumble into the concrete SeeD bunker, Squall felt just as exhausted and cranky as Seifer looked. Squall had to admit though that the other man looked worryingly pale and quickly found a medic who swiftly ushered the blond soldier into to healing ward to be looked at.

Heaving a long breath, Squall slowly reached up and unfastened his helmet, running a hand through his sweat soaked hair as it fell down to his shoulders. He really needed a haircut. Trudging further into the room, he pulled off his rifle and set it carefully down onto a table before practically collapsing into a wooden chair.

What was he doing out here? He was half-way across the world from home and still had five more months of his contract the fulfill, but just thinking of spending five more days, much less five more months, was enough to send a crushing depression into his chest. He had been fighting, and killing people, for months as what could only be described as a mercenary, and it was taking its toll, physically and emotionally. He had been taught things that he couldn't have begun to imagine himself knowing before, from how to fix an electric generator to how to incapacitate a man with one hand but all he really wanted to know was how his family was doing. Three months after he had left, he had gotten a message from his parents saying that they had found out Sora had Leukemia, some kind of cancer. Squall didn't know much about it, except that it was serious. He hadn't spoken with them for months already, and last time he had, Sora hadn't been doing any better…

His fingers tightened their grip on his hair as he rested his head in his hands, his elbows holding his weight as they rested on the table next to his gun. He was going to lose it soon if something didn't change.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he jumped about a foot, his hands immediately going to the concealed dagger in his vest as he spun around, only relaxing as he heard a familiar laugh, "Hey, watch it there!"

"What do you want Zell?"

"Just wanted to see what's up with Seifer."

"The medics have him, I think he'll be fine."

Squall's stormy gaze was on the table and so he missed the concerned frown that slowly slipped across Zell's face, his next words spoken with a seriousness that startled Squall out of his daze, "What about you? You okay, Leon?"

"I'm fine."

"Funny. You don't look it." The seriousness was gone as quickly as it had come and Zell waved it off, "But you're a big boy, you can take care of yourself. Oh, that reminds me, you have a note on your bunk."

"A note? From who?"

"I don't know, I don't go around looking at other people's mail. It must've been delivered this morning when we got the mail in from town though." They only sent men to retrieve their mail once every week, it was too dangerous to send someone out every day, and it was rare for anyone to get any sort of personal message.

"Thanks. Could you put my gear away for me?"

"What am I, your maid? Fine, but you officially owe me one favor."

"Whatever."

His mind drifted as he stood up and moved towards the hall that would lead him to the sleeping quarters, his feet knowing the path so well his thoughts were allowed to go blank, trying to block out the sight of the concrete floor, walls, and ceiling, bare lightbulbs running down the corridor the only source of light along the hallway to where the men slept. Pushing the heavy metal door open with his shoulder, Squall was relieved to find that he was alone, all of the other bunks unoccupied. The men were probably eating or trying to wash off some of the grime that they picked up on the battlefield, two things that he very much wanted to do but his knew his curiosity wouldn't allow it.

Reaching his bunk, he spotted the mentioned letter sitting in the middle of his bed, the white paper stained a bit with dirt from its trip. Snatching it off of his blankets, he quickly tore it open, not having recognized the address or the name of the sender on the front. It had looked like a government title.

At the sight of the long expanse of typed print, Squall felt eyes tire and his mind begin to go blank again until his heart froze up as he finally processed the first line of the letter:

_Mr. Squall Leonhart, It is our unfortunate duty to inform you that your parents have passed away._

Feeling like he had just had all of the wind knocked out of him, he didn't even have the strength to hold himself up as his knees suddenly gave out. His body slowly slid down the metal bedframe until he was sitting on the ground, his full attention now on the paper in front of him.

_They were in an automobile accident; both suffered major injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. The man who hit them was also killed in the collision, but these are details which are probably unnecessary at the moment. _

No, he wanted the details. Who had hit them, why had he hit them? How long ago had they even died? Hands trembling, he turned the envelope over to look for the post mark. It had mailed out over two weeks ago. His parents had been dead for half a month…and this was the first he heard about it?

_It has come to our attention that you are the only remaining direct relative of your younger brother, Sora Leonhart, who, still being a minor, requires the care of a legal guardian. He has been placed in the city's care, but can legally only remain with us for one month. After that, he will be placed into foster care unless you or another relative or authorized adult takes custody of him. We are aware of your position but if it is at all possible, could you send a list of candidates who may be able to look after Sora until you return? Also, your parents left most of their possessions to you in their will, and will have to be claimed by you after your return from duty._

Oh god, he had forgotten about Sora. Squall shook his head. There was no way he was going to let Sora get put into foster care, not while he was still living. But his contract was still active for another few months, and there was no way he'd be able to get back within the month if he put in the paperwork needed to be dismissed.

There was only one thing he could do then.

Making up his mind in less than a second, Squall quickly pulled out his duffle bag, the very same one he had carried with him from home, from under his bunk and set it onto his bed. Trying to work quickly before anyone came in, he gathered up his minimal possessions, nothing more than a set of civilian clothes, his wallet, and personal hygiene necessities. The whole process took less than five minutes; everything else he had belonged to the military and he wasn't about to steal from them on top of deserting.

Zipping the duffle up, he hesitated at the sight of the letter laying open on his pillow. Pursing his lips, he grabbed the envelope with the sender's information on it but left the letter out and open. It was the only explanation he could think of to leave for the others once they found that he was missing and wouldn't be coming back.

Shouldering his bag, he took one more glance around the room then turned to face the hall he had just walked down, his heart pounding not so much with excitement but in fear at the thought that someone might spot him on the way out and stop him. Enough time had passed that Zell had probably gone to the mess hall by now; the front room was liable to be empty. With this thought in mind, he pulled his helmet back on and pushed the door open, reverting to using his stealth techniques against the very people who had taught him how and slunk nearly silently down the hall.

He could hear men's voices echoing from the living quarters of the bunker, separated from himself only by a concrete wall as he continued to move, no more than a small sigh of relief slipping past his lips as he saw that the front room was indeed emptied for the moment.

He glanced at his rifle that Zell had returned neatly to its case near the door but decided against taking it. They were always running short of supplies and if he was taking away one of their men he could at least let them keep one of their guns. That would only leave him with a small handgun and a dagger but hopefully he wouldn't run into any enemy combatants on the way to the city. Once there, he would be able to get transport to the airport and buy himself a ticket back home, back to Traverse Town.

It sounded so simple. Such a simple thing and yet it was unfathomable that it would work. But all that mattered now was getting back to Sora. He was needed there more than he was here now. He would figure everything else out later.

His mind settled, Squall marched over to the door and pulled it open, the hinges groaning as he stepped out of the safety of the bunker, pulling the door closed again before someone came to investigate the noise. The air outside lit up in a blood red from the setting sun as it was filtered through smoke and dust on the western horizon. Turning towards it, Squall pulled his helmet down further over his face to protect his eyes from the wind, his other hand settling near his hip where his gun was holstered, ready for anyone to try and attack the lone SeeD as he wandered his way toward civilization.

* * *

The neon lights of Traverse Town glared down upon him as Squall walked through its familiar gate. Everything looked the same and yet…it felt, different. Smaller. Strange.

Shaking the thoughts away, Squall ran a hand through his hair to try and comb out any tangles. He hadn't had the opportunity to shower since he had left, though he had changed into his second pair of clothes, not wanting the attention his SeeD uniform would have garnered. Especially since it was still stained with Seifer's blood from when the other man had been injured.

Blinking up at the two crooked streetlights which stood in the middle of the courtyard, he passed in between them, letting his feet guide him home while ignoring the looks of curious strangers, wishing they'd just keep on going about their business before he was recognized. He really didn't feel up to talking.

Like the First District, the Second District didn't seem to have changed a thing since he had last been home, the fact simultaneously comforting and disconcerting. It was as if a day hadn't even passed but he knew that the image would be shattered as soon as he reached his house, because his parents wouldn't be waiting for him. But Sora would.

In less time than he had hoped, Squall found himself staring at his front door, steeling himself for whatever lay inside. He hadn't been home in a year in a half, so many things had changed, both within the house and within himself.

Bracing himself, he took a short breath before reaching a hand out and knocking. His heart flew into his throat as there was a short silence before suddenly the sound of padded footsteps echoed out from behind the door, a voice he almost recognized calling out a second later, "Who is it?"

"Leo—Squall…It's Squall—"

Before he could say anything more the door was nearly ripped open, revealing a young teenager, his expression broken from grief and sickness and a strange desperation sparking in his crystal blue eyes as they met his. Behind all this, Squall could still make out his baby brother. A strangled noise escaped Sora's throat before he stumbled outside and threw his arms around Squall's neck, burying his face into his chest.

Letting his duffel bag fall unattended to the ground, Squall quickly returned the gesture, enveloping Sora's thin frame in a tight hug, every emotion that he had buried for so long boiling up to the surface as he felt Sora shake in his arms. And it felt so nice to hold someone again.

Noticing Sora's shakes morphing into shivers in the cool night air, Squall pulled away from their embrace though keeping an arm wrapped firmly around Sora's shoulder's as he picked up his bag, his voice gruff with bottled-up feelings when he spoke, "Let's get you inside…"

Managing a nod, Sora wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, unable to keep the tremble from his words as Squall closed the front door behind them, "Y-you came back..!"

Sighing, Squall tossed his bag onto the couch in the living room before directing his gaze to the floor. Gods, all the furniture was still the same… "Sora. I just got a letter two days ago. I didn't, didn't know—I'm sorry—"

"—It's okay." Blinking up in shock, Squall looked at his brother to find Sora's eyes staring back firmly into his, "It's okay. You're here now, so it's okay." A weak smile made its way onto the youth's face and even this shell of Sora's former happiness was enough to melt away a little of Squall's uncertainties. "I, I was afraid, that I would have to be, be sent away somewhere. I want, I want to stay here, I—I just—"

Squall cut off his rising panic by stepping forward and pulling him into another hug, "Hey…It'll be alright now. I'll take care of you."

He swallowed as he felt Sora's fingers grip at his shirt, pulling at the fabric as he tried to keep himself together, "Th-thank you."

Eyes softening, Squall lowered his head to rest on Sora's soft brunet spikes, his hands slowly moving on their own accord to rub comforting circles on Sora's back, like he remembered his mother doing whenever he had been upset. The motion seemed to relax the teen but Squall frowned as he realized just how skinny Sora was. Pulling away, he cleared his throat, "Anyway, how about I make us something to eat, alright?"

Sora nodded softly then smiled shakily, "You can cook?"

"Probably as well as you can, if there's anything to eat in the house."

"Mm, I can't remember what's in the fridge. I, haven't gone shopping yet."

Squall frowned as the depression flickered back in Sora's voice and traveled straight into his heart. That's right, he had been on his own for a few weeks now. "Well, I'm sure we'll find something."

That something turned out to be a batch of rice topped with a sort of make-shift stir-fry of whatever Squall found still edible in the crisper. It would make due for the moment. Setting a plate down at the table for Sora, Squall took the seat across from him as the younger let out a small noise of surprise, "Wow, this looks surprisingly good. I didn't know we had vegetables left."

"We barely did. I'll go grocery shopping tomorrow…" Squall fell silent for a moment to allow them each a few bites before speaking again, as well as to give him a few minutes to work out his next question as best he could, "…Do you know, where I need to go to get control of our—inheritance?"

Sora swallowed thickly before giving a small nod, "Y-ya. City Hall, I think…I think that's what the city workers said."

"Alright, I'll take care of that tomorrow too…Do you want to come?"

Sora blinked then shook his head, "I have school tomorrow."

"Hm? Oh, right." Right, Sora was still in high school. "How, how is that going?"

It felt awkward to try to start a conversation about something so mundane but Sora answered without missing a beat, as if relieved to finally be discussing a more comfortable topic. "It's alright I guess. Even though I'm fifteen, I'm a freshman because I had to be held back a year because I was sick too much last year during chemotherapy."

"Hm?"

"What? Oh, chemotherapy? Ya that was last year." He gave a small laugh, "That wasn't so fun…All my hair fell out and everything, it just grew out to its normal length like two months ago."

"…Was it bad? Did it hurt?"

Sora kicked his feet a little under the table, "It wasn't so bad…I've been feeling better since, although I guess I have to take those drugs for the next two years or something before the symptoms really go away, hopefully for good." He gave another tight smile, "I'm kind of tired of being sick."

Squall did the only thing he could think of and gave a small nod. To have gone through something like that at his age…he didn't want to think about it.

"What about you?"

Squall gave a questioning grunt and Sora explained, "I mean, how was it, out there? Like the movies?"

"Worse."

"What do you mean?"

Taking a small breath, he shook his head, "You don't need to know." Seeing that his plate had emptied sometime during their talk, he looked up to find Sora's dish in the same condition. Rising to his feet, he picked both plates up and walked over to the sink, "I can say that it's good to be back."

"It's, good to have you back."

Turning around, Squall found that Sora had followed him into the kitchen. Giving a rare smile, he raised a hand and set it down on Sora's head, ruffling his brown spikes, "Thanks…I'll, try my best, to be what you need me to be." Swallowing, Squall looked away, his gaze happening to pass over the clock on the microwave, "…And that being said, since tomorrow's a school day, and it's nearly eleven, you should be getting ready for bed."

Sora blinked before letting out a small laugh, his hands going up to grab the one Squall was resting on his head, "It seems like forever since I was told to go to bed. But you should go to sleep soon too, you must be tired. You look tired…"

"Do I? I suppose I am a little."

Nodding, Sora slowly fell still, his voice tentative as he spoke again, "Are, are you going to stay in your old room? Mom and Dad left it alone while you were away. But—their room is bigger and since, since—"

"—My old room's fine." Sora took a breath then nodded again, "Go ahead and get ready for bed. I'll make sure everything's locked up and follow you soon."

"Alright." Pulling away from underneath his older brother's palm, Sora turned and slowly down the hall to his bedroom, his soft voice echoing back into the kitchen as he left, "Thank you."

Squall didn't reply, knowing Sora wasn't waiting for an answer, and instead just watched the teen walk down the hall and slip around the corner. After he had passed out of sight, Squall found himself unable to move for a few moments, the events of the last week suddenly falling like a weight onto his shoulders.

The worst was over. Tomorrow they would begin to reconstruct their lives.

That night, Squall slept fitfully in his childhood bed, flashes of dirt, blood, and faces breaking into his dreams. He woke in a cold sweat, his hand automatically moving to the place on the floor where he had always kept his handgun back in the barracks, his fingers just curling around the grip before he realized where he was.

Taking a shuddering breath, he paused before pulling his hand up from the ground to run it over his face. Squall forced himself to remain calm as he heard footsteps hurrying towards his room from the hall outside, unsurprised as the sounds were soon followed up by a cautious knock.

"What is it Sora?" His voice was still rough from sleep but his little brother didn't seem bothered as he pushed the door open.

"I thought I heard a scream or something…you okay?"

Blinking in surprise, Squall gave a quick nod, "Ya, everything's fine." He couldn't remember ever having talked in his sleep before and none of the other SeeD members had mentioned it; it must've been from the change in environments, "What time's it?"

"Almost seven, so still pretty early. I was just gonna get some cereal if you want some. I mean, it'd be pretty easy for you to get yourself but since I'm gonna do it anyways—"

Squall gave a small smile at Sora's rambling and slipped his legs out from under the covers, liking the way that the carpeted floor felt under his bare feet compared to the cold concrete he had grown so used to waking up to. "Thanks Sor, but I'm not really hungry…Do you need a shower or can I take the bathroom?"

"Nope, it's all yours this morning!" A grin slipped onto Sora's face as he leaned into the room, "I guess you'll have to use my shampoo until you go buy your own, huh?"

"What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing really; you just don't really seem like a strawberry-papou fruit kinda guy."

"…Could you've picked a fruitier smelling shampoo?"

"Hey, it smells good!"

Rolling his eyes, Squall motioned for Sora to leave, which he did with a small laugh. By the time Squall had made it into the bathroom down the hall, he was well aware of how badly he needed to wash. Despite his night spent in clean sheets, he could still sense the smell of smoke and gunpowder lingering on him and as he stepped into the blistering hot water, he couldn't help but wince at how for the first few moments he could actually see dirt streak off of his skin and down into the drain. He was definitely going to have to wash his sheets tonight…

Stepping out of the shower a good fifteen minutes of scrubbing later, he made short work of going back to his room and pulling on some clothes that he hadn't seen in one and a half years. The t-shirt fit much more snuggly than he remembered and he was still fiddling with it as he walked out into the kitchen to find Sora sitting at the table shoveling a bowl of cereal into his mouth while simultaneously working on a math assignment.

Taking a seat across from him, Squall waited until his brother had swallowed before speaking up, "So today I will go down to City Hall and see about getting legal control of Mom and Dad's assets and then I was thinking about going to the workshops around town and asking if they needed any extra hands—"

He paused as Sora interrupted him with a shake of his head, "Most of the shops closed up a few months ago."

"Where does everything in town come from then?"

"One of the big cities like Radiant Gardens or Dark City. I guess they were a lot cheaper or something, 'cause the local store here started to close up and a lot of people lost their jobs 'cept for a few."

Squall frowned, his fingers drumming lightly on the tabletop as he tried to think of somewhere else he could go to get a job. He had figured the workshops would take him in; that was where he had mostly worked before he had become a SeeD mercenary, but if they were all closed down…there probably weren't a lot of other places that would take someone with just a high school diploma, especially if all the ex-employees of the workshops were also looking for work.

Undoubtedly seeing his mounting frustration, Sora piped up, "I think there's some place downtown that's been helping people find jobs. It's been in the news a lot, because of all of the layoffs and stuff."

"I'll try it. Maybe they'll have something. But shouldn't you be getting to school?"

At his words, Sora's blue eyes flew to the clock, a small noise of shock escaping the young teen as he realized that it was nearly 7:45, "Ah shoot! Class starts in fifteen minutes! I haven't finished my math yet!" Squall allowed himself a small chuckle and Sora's head whipped around to look at him, hope shining in his eyes, "Hey Squall, we still have your motorcycle parked outside! Since you're here, could you give me a ride to school? Please? I'd be there in five minutes!"

Quirking his head at being reminded of his old bike, Squall made a show of thinking it over before smirking, "I suppose it wouldn't be too far out of my way. But be ready to go in five minutes."

The smile that Sora gave him in return seemed to light up the room, "Thanks! I'll be finished by then!"

The teen had told the truth, just barely managing to complete his homework and scoop all of his school supplies into his backpack at the end of his five minute deadline. Squall stood at the front door in his old cropped leather jacket, the soft fur around the collar providing warmth his white wife beater didn't allow. Crossing his arms over his chest, he watched with a small smirk on his face as Sora scramble over to him like a puppy.

"Ready!"

"Then let's get going." Plucking his keys off of a hook by the door, Squall led Sora outside and around the corner into the nearby alley where the residences were allowed to park their vehicles. It helped that most everyone walked everywhere and took the train into nearby cities; in fact, the only thing currently parked there was Squall's motorcycle.

Pulling the cover off of it, he ran his hand over the metal body, trying to remember himself when he had put it together. It was nearly impossible. Squall shook his head then motioned his head for Sora to get on behind him as he mounted the bike himself. He only had one helmet attached to the handlebars so he pulled it off and gave it to his little brother, "Put this on and hang on tight."

Sora nodded quickly, an excited smile dancing across his face as he obeyed, pressing his cheek against Squall's back as he wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. "Wow! You have muscles now!"

Squall smirked again, "Being a solider has its perks…"

After making sure that Sora got to the school without incident, Squall sped off toward the town center and City Hall. The first thing he did was go to take control of his and Sora's inheritance. The lawyers were surprised to see him, since they knew he was contracted for a few more months of service still, but by lunch Squall was the new legal owner of all of his parents' property. Some of it was to go to Sora when he came of age, although Squall made sure that a large portion of his parents' money went into a college fund for Sora. Even if Squall never received the chance to get a higher education didn't mean that he would let Sora fall into the same situation. Unfortunately, his parents didn't have much money left, most of it having been drained from the passed two years of Sora's medical bills, and as Squall left the lawyer's office the pressure for him to find a job was nearly overwhelming.

Walking across the square to the government buildings, Squall quickly located his next stop, the ads aimed at job seekers plastered across the front a good indication he was in the right place. Taking the stairs up to the main door two at a time, he pushed the door open to find himself in an average looking office building. A secretary looked up at him and he subconsciously ran a hand through his hair, trying to look more presentable. "Um, I'm here about finding a job?"

She glanced behind her, checking the offices down the hall before turning to face him again, "Alright, second room down should be free. Go ahead inside."

"Thank you…"

Walking passed her, Squall cautiously approached the specified door. He cleared his throat a little as he stepped inside the small room, catching the attention of a man at a desk in the corner. Looking away from his computer screen the man gave Squall a half-smile before motioning him to sit in a chair on the other side of the room. "Here for a job, I suppose?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright then…" His voice trailed off as he shuffled through some forms on his desk, finally pulling one from the stack and grabbing a pen, "Name, date of birth, and street address?"

Squall rattled off the requested information, the man scribbling it into the correct blanks spaces on the form before continuing, "Level of education?"

"High school was the furthest I got." The man glanced up at him and Squall shifted under his gaze. He could sense the man's opinion of him drop a few points.

"Prior work experience?"

"Um…I worked for around three years at one of the workshops in town after I got out of high school but I, haven't had much luck for about a year and a half now." Squall knew that if he mentioned SeeD it would open up floodgate of questions he didn't want to have to answer. Particularly how he left. Desertion was worse than a dishonorable discharge; he would never get a job if anyone found out.

"Well, let's see what we can do for you, Mr. Leonhart. I can't promise anything, the markets been tight for job seekers lately, as you are undoubtedly aware." Spinning his chair around, the man went to work at his computer, accessing some sort of databank and entering Squall's information in. A few moments of awkward silence ensued as the computer searched, a small beeping noise signaling that it was finished.

Heaving a sigh, the man gave a small shrug, "I'm sorry, Mr. Leonhart, but there are no jobs available for someone in your position right now."

"Wait, can you check again sir?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Leonhart, I've already checked all the job openings."

Squall rose to his feet, about to argue his case when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him. Glancing back, he caught sight of a short, slim man dressed in a suit, his oddly-colored hair falling so that it covered nearly half of his face. When the smaller man spoke, the man behind the desk straightened up, "If I may, Mr. Leonhart, was it?" Squall nodded, "I could not help but overhear. I might be able to help you, if you care to come to my office."

"Of course." Squall followed without a second glance back at the man who had been "helping" him earlier. As he was led into a new room near the back of the hall, he couldn't help but ask, "How is it that you would be able to help when he wasn't?"

"I have different connections." Closing the door and taking a seat behind a large desk, the short man didn't even turn on his computer, just delicately crossed his arms, "Now, tell me about yourself Mr. Leonhart."

"I'm not how much you heard before but basically I'm a high school graduate who hasn't had a job in a year and a half." Squall noted that the man's desk was neatly organized, not a paper out of place, his nameplate reading "Ienzo Corazza". Squall had to wonder how old he was; he didn't look a day over 18.

"Hmm…" Leaning back, Ienzo raised his chin, his visible eye sparking with intelligence, "Now, Mr. Leonhart, let's try that again. And please, do not take me for a fool."

Squall narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I heard you speaking with Mr. Scott and, although he may lack some power of observation, I do not. A man such as yourself would not have remained idle for a year and a half, meaning that you must have been doing something you deemed unnecessary for him to know about. Equally obvious to the trained eye is that you have spent time in the military. The way you hold yourself, the way you quickly respond to direct questions, the way you address figures of authority as 'Sir'. You might as well explain yourself."

Frowning, Squall leaned back against the wall, not liking the direction their conversation had taken. But it would be stupid to lie about anything now, this man was sharp, "Fine. I _was_ in the military."

"Oh? What branch?"

"…SeeD."

"Elite forces then…Interesting. As I recall, a SeeD contract extends for twenty-four months, yet you seemed to have gotten out in less…"

"I—" Squall sighed, raising his head to gaze straight into the man's eyes, "I deserted."

Ienzo's expression didn't change, "I assume you had your reasons. Well, given your background, Mr. Leonhart, I have a question for you. How desperately do you need a job?"

The inquiry caught Squall off-guard. He didn't know if he liked the way it had been phrased. But, thinking back on Sora…he still needed medication, and there were bills, mortgages, and food to be paid for… "I need a job immediately."

"And what would you be willing to do?"

Ienzo's voice was quiet as he asked but it still sent a chill down Squall's back. But there was only one answer he could give. "I would do anything."

A small smile appeared on Ienzo's lips and Squall felt as if he had just made a deal with the devil, "Excellent…Meet me tonight at this address." Jotting down a quick note on a scrap of paper, Ienzo passed it across the desk to Squall, "Don't be late."


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, look, dudes, I managed to put another chapter out in one week! I'm starting out on a roll. ^^ Anyway, I just wanted to thank all of you guys who reviewed. Seriously, that was the most reviews I've had for a first chapter in a long time. I'm totally excited! :D

With that said, thank you so much to: The Hollow Fairy Wolf, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Taryn Eithne, DeNiSaY60, FlurryDivider, Shinimegami7, Emerald Moonrose, LoneBoy7, ChibixLeon, zi-ling, xLion-Heartx, Bane-Dane, Kichi Tsukima, Cry-Wolf-And-Sing, Dust to Dusk, Keira-93, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, ooXloveXoo582, ramen-is-my-goddess, b4k4 ch4n.

You guys rock! Keep it up, and I'll keep writing! ^^

O

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Squall heaved a breath as he arrived back at home, parking his bike in the alleyway and remembering to grab the groceries before heading inside the house. Well, his house now. What a terrible thought.

Arms full, he shouldered his way through the front door, kicking it shut behind him, "Sora? You home?"

Squall heard rustling from Sora's bedroom before the teen appeared in the hallway, "Hey Squall! Need help?"

"No, I got it."

"Guess what, I actually finished my homework early!"

"Good." Now there wouldn't be any more early morning drama. He made his way into the kitchen and began to put the groceries away, "Hey Sor, I'm going to go out later tonight, after dinner."

Following him into the kitchen, Sora flopped down into a chair at the dinning room table, "What for?"

"A potential job offer came up."

"That's great! Is it a night job or something?"

"I'm not sure; I don't know much about it. I'm not even sure how late I'll be out for."

Sora grinned up at him, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! I know, take my cell phone, okay? That way, if I need anything, I'll call! And you can call if you are going to be really late or something!"

"Alright…" Squall reluctantly accepted Sora's cell phone as the boy held it out to him. He hadn't had time to get a new one yet; more chores for tomorrow.

The rest of the afternoon passed relatively quickly, Sora managing to convince Squall to play a round of videogames with him before dinner. Sora won of course, having spent way too many hours playing the racing game to even give Squall a chance. Huffing, Squall stood up as Sora gloated, giving the younger a noogie to shut him up before he headed into the kitchen.

The next time Squall looked at a clock, while doing the dishes after they had cleared the table, it was already 8pm. Nearly dropping the plate he was holding, he quickly dried it and grabbed his coat and keys, finding Sora sitting in the family room watching TV. "Sor, I'm leaving now. Get in bed by eleven, you have school tomorrow. I'll get back as soon as I can, but don't be too surprised if I don't get back until morning."

"Alright! Good luck!"

"Thanks…I may need it." Murmuring the last part to himself, Squall left the house, making sure that the door was firmly locked behind him. Pulling the scrap of paper that Ienzo had given him earlier that day out of his pocket, he scanned what was written there in Ienzo's tight scrawl. Third District, huh? Not exactly the best part of town. Fortunately, he had tucked his pistol into an inside pocket in his jacket just in case things got messy.

Already most of the residences of Traverse Town were in their homes, the streets nearly deserted as Squall rode through. Crossing into the Third District, Squall began to look around at the numbers on the buildings. The sun had already gone down, the District lit up only by the neon streetlights, and making it more difficult for Squall to navigate around the paved courtyard and up the ramps to the residential area. Slowing his speed, he looked for his destination, his mind growing more and more uneasy.

Although he hadn't yet run into any trouble, it was clear that he was not being sent to a legitimate business. And after the conversation they had had earlier…What exactly was it that Ienzo was going to ask of him? He had done odd-jobs in the past, but he had a sneaking suspicion this one was going to be less than legal.

The feeling intensified as he finally pulled up to a rather run-down looking house. Double-checking the address that he had been given and finding it to match the one on the house, Squall dropped the kickstand on his motorcycle, parking it directly by the front door. If he needed to make a quick exit, he didn't want to have to run far for his ride.

As he carefully made his way inside, Squall subconsciously made note of all the doors and windows, military training coming to the forefront of his mind. When he had been with SeeD they had raided enough seemingly-abandoned homes and warehouses to know that they could be the most dangerous locations; they were much too easy to set traps in.

One hand slipped into his jacket, fingers lightly playing across the grip on his pistol, as he approached the closed door. There was a bit of light shinning out from under the door, the only sign that the building had been inhabited in years. Heaving a breath, Squall prepared himself for anything, his senses peaked, and reached out his free hand, knocking firmly on the door.

A few seconds passed and Squall was about to knock again when the sound of soft footsteps reached his straining ears. Pulling back, though not removing the hand tucked inside his jacket, he waited as he heard the sound of about four locks being undone before the door finally cracked open a few inches. A familiar eye gazed out at him before the door swung open completely, light streaming out from the now-opened room as Ienzo revealed himself.

"Mr. Leonhart, I was wondering if you were going to show. Please, come in."

"What's this about, Ienzo?"

Ienzo glanced back at him, a serious look passing over his face, "Firstly, you will refer to me from now on as Zexion. I suggest you think of an alias for yourself as well. Secondly, there is no need for you to continue fondling your concealed weapon, though I appreciate your caution. If I had wanted you dead, I would have killed you already."

Ienzo, or Zexion, certainly had changed since their first meeting. The suit was gone, replaced with a black turtleneck and skinny black jeans, and the slight man's entire countenance had altered. Before he had seemed intelligent but quiet, almost shy, but "Zexion", though retaining the same intelligence, seemed confident and completely deadly. Nevertheless, he didn't seem like he currently wanted to cause Squall any harm, so he released his gun and settled on crossing his arms over his chest instead, eyeing the man standing across from him carefully. An alias came as easily as breathing, "Call me Leon then. Now you'd better start giving me answers."

Raising a brow, Zexion considered him for a moment before turning around and moving further into the house. The building had been gutted and redesigned into what could only be described as some sort of control center, Zexion clearly having some sort of ownership over the place as he nonchalantly took a seat at a long table. "I am offering you a position of sorts in a little, business venture of mine. I warn you, this is your last chance to leave. If I describe all of this to you, you understand that you will not be allowed to leave without signing on."

Squall frowned. Over the last few hours, he had thought this over himself. Even when he had been playing that stupid game with Sora, he had constantly been reminded of how badly he needed a job. Every time Sora's eyes met with his; his little brother was dependent on his ability to work. If he couldn't find a job the consequences would be unacceptable. "I understand confidentiality and I know how to keep my mouth shut. Tell me about the job."

"You've clearly made your choice. Very well. The job is as follows. I operate a group of thieves who target the wealthy. We operate in multiple cities; in fact, most of our jobs are in Twilight Town or Dark City. Recently one of my men has lost his life in the line of duty and, as a SeeD, I know you have the skills that would be necessary to replace him."

A thief? Well, that was slightly more illegal than he had been expecting. But it was a little too late to back out. Even if he managed to escape Zexion tonight, the man had easy access to his real name and address, since he had given all of his information to Zexion's colleague at work. It wouldn't be hard to track Squall down with that and there was a good chance that Sora would be caught in the crossfire.

"What exactly would be required of me?"

"About everything you could imagine. Thievery, obviously. Breaking and entering, blackmail, bribery, conspiracy, trespassing, perjury, fraud, and homicide, depending on the circumstances. Nothing you weren't paid for in SeeD."

Blinking, Squall couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in the man's words. As a mercenary, he basically had been paid to kill. But that had been different. It had to have been different.

As if reading his mind, Zexion gave the smallest of smirks, "Surely you cannot even pretend to romanticize your actions in SeeD? You'll still be a mercenary, all that is really changing is the setting."

"It may be a mercenary job but the legality has certainly changed. What would the hours be?"

"It would depend on the job. Every job will be planned at least a week in advance and you should plan on working in the field about once a week. For the other nights, you will be expected to report to this building from eight until about two in the morning, weekends and Mondays off. You will be paid, by me, every other week. Your pay will be more than enough to cover any expenses you have. Do you accept my terms?"

Squall hesitated before nodding, "Accepted."

"Good decision. Work starts tomorrow. I suggest you sleep most of tomorrow to get your body on schedule. If you slow us down, your employment will be terminated. I assume you understand my meaning."

The message was clear. Nap on the job and you'll be killed. "You won't have to worry about me."

"I did not plan to. Unless you have any questions, you are free to leave." Squall nodded and turned to leave. Just as he had his hand on the door handle, Zexion's quiet voice picked back up, "By the way, I should mention that if you choose at any time to go to the police about this, consider the action to be signing your death warrant."

Glancing back over his shoulder, Squall frowned, "Don't patronize me Zexion. I know what I'm getting into."

Hoping that he hadn't crossed a line, Squall quickly left the vacant house, jumping on his motorcycle and revving it up, just wanting to get home as soon as possible. He didn't want to think about the fact that he had just signed himself up to be a criminal. Though he was in SeeD and had been a mercenary, he did have morals and he did consider himself to be a good man. But, desperation made men things do things they otherwise wouldn't dream of. Of course he'd rather have a legitimate job but, with his education and history…he just couldn't afford to wait for one to show up when half the town was job searching as well. Zexion's job was one only someone like he could do. And, depending on where they hit, it was liable to be profitable. He could make enough money to provide a solid foundation for Sora's future. And, as long as Sora didn't get involved, he really didn't care what happened to him. Except for protecting his little brother, it's not really like he had any plans for the future anyway.

As he rode, Squall pulled Sora's cell phone out of his pocket to check the time. 10:45pm. Not bad. He'd be home by 11, which apparently the earliest he was going to make it home all week.

When he got back, he quickly made his way inside, a small smile playing across his face as he found that Sora had left the light on for him in the living room. Moving further into the house, he stopped at the door to Sora's room. Knocking gently, he peeked inside only to find Sora fast asleep on his bed, the teen sprawled haphazardly under powder blue sheets.

Stepping inside as quietly as anyone could in combat boots, Squall kneeled down next to the twin-sized mattress. His smile faltered as he caught sight of Sora's nightstand. Every inch of space not occupied by a small lamp and an alarm clock was taken up with bottles of pills; it was hard to remember how sick his little brother still was when he always acted so healthy. Sora shifted in his sleep and Squall leaned down, brushing Sora's bangs away from his face to press a light, familial kiss to his forehead. The life of a criminal was absolutely worth taking care of this boy.

* * *

The next day passed by without much incident, except for the fact that he had picked up a new cell phone, until Squall found it was time to go to work. Sora had excitedly questioned him about his new job and all he had gotten out of Squall was that it was a night job with occasional odd hours. Squall had finally broken down and told him that it was a warehouse job, the only thing he could think of on the spot. Luckily, Sora seemed to have bought the story, although his naivety made Squall feel even worse about the lie. It really was for the best though.

Once he was sure that Sora was set for the night and that the door was locked firmly behind him, Squall jumped on his bike and rode towards the Third District. Once again, the streets were nearly deserted and he made it to the vacant house early. Figuring that it would be safer to go inside than loiter outside in the dark, he made his way into headquarters. Trying to keep the blank, confident face he had developed in his SeeD training, he approached the door.

Rapping on the metal door, he waited for Zexion to crack it open, jumping back nearly a foot when the whole thing suddenly swung open. The light nearly blinded him at first, his hand automatically going straight to the inner jacket pocket and the gun hidden there, realizing that the move had been a smart one when the barrel of a handgun suddenly appeared out of the light to press against his forehead. "Who are you? Answer quickly before I redecorate the sidewalk."

Grimacing, Leon tried to ignore the increased pace of his heart and tightened his grip on his gun, maneuvering it inside his jacket so that it was pointed at his unknown enemy, "It'll be the last thing you ever do."

"Riku!" An agitated voice echoed out from inside the house and Squall's vision finally adjusted enough to catch Zexion approaching them from the back, an annoyed scowl on his face. Squall's gaze flew over to assess the other gunman and his eyes narrowed. The young man was tall and slim, long silver hair hanging around his face although it was unable to hide the sharp aquamarine eyes glaring out at him. He wore casual clothes, baggy jeans with a black, zip-up vest with a high collar, the color contrasting with his pale skin.

Reaching them, Zexion grabbed the gun that was pressed to Squall's forehead and pushed the barrel up so that any bullet would fly into the ceiling. "Riku" he repeated himself, eyeing the pale man, "do not threaten him. After all, he is your new partner and I do not feel like recruiting a new member."

Huffing, Riku took his finger off of the trigger, casually slipping his long pistol into a belt holster as he rolled his eyes, "You could have said so before."

"I did, you simply did not listen." Riku shrugged in response and Zexion scowled, turning his attention to Squall instead, "Leon, stop letting the heat out and get inside. The pompous brat who met you at the door is Riku, Riku this is our new member, Leon. Learn to get along, you will be working together."

Zexion closed the door as Squall stepped completely inside, Squall and Riku sizing each other up from across the room and, judging by Riku's expression, neither really impressed by the other's appearance. Undoubtedly noting but ignoring their glares, Zexion continued, "Riku is a hitman by trade, a sharpshooter if you will. His attitude however leaves much to be desired."

Riku scowled, "Thanks Zexion, watch your back going home tonight."

"Who do you think pays your salary?"

"Who says I need money?"

Zexion shot him a glare that would freeze Hell over before sitting down at the long table, paperwork now scattered across the wooden surface. Not wanting to remain standing for the whole night, Squall followed suit, sitting down to Zexion's right as Riku chose to remain on the other side of the room and dropped down onto an old couch tucked up under a boarded-up window. "Now, we are preparing our next job. Leon, there will be no training period so keep up." Receiving only a small glare in response, Zexion continued unphased, "It will be in Twilight Town, the summer home of a wealthy railway owner."

"Summer home?" Riku spoke up, his tone bored, "He won't be home then. It sounds too easy…"

"Then it will be good news for you Riku that the man installed an advanced security systems and that the house is patrolled at all hours. Now if you would kindly shut up so I could finish?"

Riku gave a small wave, as if granting permission, and Zexion rolled his eyes, "Excellent…Anyway, I will personally unarm the security system from a van waiting outside." Pausing in his speech, Zexion pulled what looked like a satellite map and a blue print of a house out from the stack of papers, "The estate is walled but it should not prove to be a problem. In disabling the security system, I should simultaneously be able to access the cameras placed around the house and will keep you informed of the situation through wireless headsets. We will need to figure out the fastest route to reach the bedroom, where my sources say he keeps his safe."

Squall frowned, "Who are your sources?"

"A man we know as Marluxia is our contact in Twilight Town. He sells us information and in exchange I do not ask where it comes from."

"Can he be trusted?"

"As much as anyone in our business. Perhaps less than that actually. But he has not double-crossed us yet."

Not thoroughly convinced, Squall's frown deepened but he didn't say anything, instead turning his attention to the blueprint on the table. He had planned strategic strikes before, this couldn't be much different.

Their plan was put into action three days later on a Friday night. Squall had said good-night to Sora at 5pm, explaining that a big shipment had come in and he needed to work extra hours. Sora had enthusiastically waved him off, telling him not to worry, like he always did. By 5:30, Squall arrived not at the vacant house but at the train station where he found Riku waiting for him, a large bag in the young man's hand. They nodded to each other and boarded a train to Twilight Town, arriving in the picturesque sea-side city by 8pm.

As they walked out of the station, Riku paused, shielding his eyes from the glare of the setting sun, "I thought it would be dark by now…"

Squall snorted a little, "It's called 'Twilight Town' for a reason. Sunsets seem to last hours here."

"Well, let's hope that the damn thing sets before tonight."

Letting out a breath of air in agreement, Squall glanced around, "Zexion told us to meet him at the clock tower…"

"And there he is." Riku pointed and as Squall followed his finger and spotted a figure leaning against the base of an enormous clock tower next to a black van. It looked like a punkish teenager dressed in tight dark jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, the hood pulled over to cast shadows over his face. A closer look however, revealed pale blue hair and a sharp gaze, putting the everything else into perspective and suddenly Squall realized that it was Zexion.

"…He looks like he's 15…"

"I know. The damn geezer's a freak of nature, he doesn't age."

Squall glanced over as they began to stroll over to their ride, "How old is he?"

"He's twenty-seven!"

Squall blinked as he took another look at Zexion as the man straightened up, having noticed their presence. That meant that Zexion was older than him, if only by a year. But still, the man's appearance was very deceiving. Especially right now when he looked like he could be in high school. As soon as he spoke though, Squall was reminded that Zexion was not quite so innocent. "I was beginning to wonder if the two had you had missed your train. Get in the back and change while I drive to our location, without damaging any of the equipment please. Most of it is worth more than either of you."

Riku scoffed as he pulled open the back door, revealing panels of computers and TV monitors lining the sides, a small moving space in between them, "Just don't get distracted by all that eyeliner and crash the van."

Flat-out ignoring Riku, Zexion got into the driver's seat, starting up the old van as Squall hopped in the back after Riku and closed the doors. Squall scowled as he bumped into the other man, both momentarily loosing their footing as the vehicle started up. Setting his bag on top of a TV screen, Riku opened it up and pulled out a long, black leather trench coat. Squall had to roll his eyes at the dramatic outfit as he watched Riku put it on, both men pulling their hair up into a ponytail and leather gloves onto their hands. Removing his signature jacket, Squall tucked his handgun into the belt holster he had dug out of his SeeD gear.

Riku let out a curse as Zexion took a sharp turn, both men in back thrown to the right side of the van, "Damn it, doesn't that little jerk know we have loaded weapons back here?!"

Glancing back, Squall let out a noise of concern. Riku had been slipping two long pistols into his trenchcoat when the turn had come; if he had fallen wrong they would have discharged, probably right into Squall's leg. "Just keep your fingers off the triggers and we won't have any problems."

"Nothing will happen as long as Zex keeps the van upright." Spotting something amidst the crowd of tech equipment, Riku grabbed two slim headsets from the mess, "Here, put this on. Knowing Zexion, he already has his on."

Slipping the headpiece on, Riku adjusted the microphone before switching the device on, "Hey, take those turns easier unless you want a bullet in your back."

Squall smirked as he switched his own headset on and heard Zexion's emotionless voice crackled back over the radiowaves, "--I assumed you had a better sense of balance. I apologize, I will slow down--"

Chuckling, Squall couldn't help a small flashback of Seifer and Zell messing around with the walkie-talkies while on patrol. Caught-off guard by the small flood of depression that came after it, he forced the thoughts away the same way he forced away thoughts of his family while he was on duty. Strange to think that was less than a week ago.

"Hey Leon! You're blocking the door."

Snapping out of his thoughts at Riku's annoyed sneer, Squall realized the van had come to a stop. Wondering how long he had been daydreaming for, Squall threw back a "Whatever" before pushing the double doors opened.

Zexion was waiting for them outside, jumping in the back as soon as they had vacated the space and immediately booting up some computers, flipping his hood down to adjust his headset. Taking the opportunity, Squall looked around as Riku did the same. They had parked along the side wall of what appeared to be a rather lavish estate, judging by the three story mansion that was peeking over the eight-foot brick wall. They seemed to be in a suburb of Twilight Town, surrounded by other large, well-to-do houses, just as silent as the one standing in front of them.

Seeing what they were looking at, Zexion spoke to them in a soft voice, "This is the eastern wall. If you remember from the map, the point of entrance you decided upon was the third window from the left on the second story. Give me a moment to disable the security system. Actually, while you are waiting, figure out a way to scale that wall without alerting the guards."

Riku and Squall looked at each other before looking back at the wall. It wouldn't be too hard; all that they really needed to do was make sure that they were relatively quiet. Each going their own route, Riku positioned himself between the wall and the van, the space about two feet wide, while Squall chose instead to use the car's bumper as a stepstool to the van's roof. Just as Squall had pulled himself completely up onto the roof, Riku literally leapt into action. Taking a small running start, he jumped at the wall, using momentum to ricochet up and over to the van and then back over to the wall, having gained enough height to snag the top of the brick wall and hoist himself up.

Squall blinked at Riku's agility but, unwilling to give the young man any further ego boost, kept silent, instead focusing on jumping from the roof of the van to the top of the wall. Luckily, his muscles were still toned from SeeD, and he landed easily in a crouch on the six-inch thick barrier. Letting out a small huff, Riku sat down next to him, both men then refocusing on Zexion to wait for an "okay" to proceed.

Glancing up at them, clearly not having expected that they would complete their task so quickly, Zexion shook his head and returned to his computers, his voice coming through on Squall and Riku's headsets, "--Do not jeopardize this mission by trying to show off--"

"Hey, it worked didn't it? And can you take any longer? I thought you had worked most of this thing out remotely back in Traverse."

"--I did in fact work most of it out. However, it takes a few moments to actually be put into action, so you will just have to search deep inside yourself for the strength to wait a few more moments without doing anything foolhardy Riku--"

"Just hurry up."

A few more minutes passed by, each feeling like an hour, before Zexion's voice came back through the soft crackle of static, "--Alright. The home security is down. You should have about seven minutes before the guards realize that something is wrong, unless they are unusually perceptive. I advise that you move quickly--"

"Alright," Riku glanced at Squall as they turned to face the house, "let's get this show on the road."

Not having seen a guard pass by within the last five minutes, Squall cautiously jumped down into the grassy yard as quietly as he could manage. Riku followed, landing noiselessly beside him and the two crept towards the building. Pulling his handgun free of its holster, Squall pressed himself against the house wall, military training rushing back as he moved toward the corner. As Riku looked up at the window they would use, Squall checked around the corner to search for guards coming from the south. The coast was clear.

Squall nodded back to his partner and a smirk spread across Riku's face, the pale man beginning to skillfully scale the outside of the building, using the ornate detailing around the first story window as a ladder. Squall checked back around the corner, his heart catching just slightly as he saw a man appear from the shadows, walking towards their position as he patrolled the perimeter of the estate.

Glancing back and seeing that Riku had just latched onto the windowsill of their entrance point, Squall spoke into his headset, "Riku, we have company."

He heard Riku give a small grunt of exertion as the man pulled himself up to balance precariously on the small second-story windowsill before Riku answered back, "Do they need to be taken care of?"

Squall looked back at the guard. He had getting closer but, given that the building was huge it was likely that the man wouldn't come around the corner until after both Riku and he had made it inside. "It should be alright if you can get that window open."

"Already done."

Looking up, Squall caught Riku's smug grin before the pale man disappeared into the house. Checking the guard one last time to make sure that his climb wouldn't be interrupted, Squall holstered his pistol so he would have two free hands and mimicked Riku's ascent.

As he pulled himself up and through the window, he found Riku standing in the room they had broken into, his hands on his hips as he surveyed his surroundings. It looked to be a study of sorts, bookcases lining two of the walls with a pool table in the middle of the room. It was clear that their target had a lot of cash. Riku however already looked bored, Zexion's voice echoing through the silence picking his interest back up, "--The master bedroom is down the hall--"

Squall mentally recalled the blueprints he had spent hours staring at last night, "Understood." Riku motioned for him to go first as Squall rearmed himself, causing Squall to raise a brow, "You don't want to lead?"

"Never bothered to look at the map."

Before Squall could respond, Zexion beat him to it, "--What do I even pay you for?--"

"Are you kidding, did you see how fast I had that window open?"

They might have continued had Squall not raised a hand for silence, Riku grudgingly closing his mouth as they stepped out of the billiard room and further into the house. Holding his gun out in front as he made his way through the house, Squall led the way as they slunk down a long hall, the left side opening up to reveal a grand staircase leading down to the first floor, rows of doors continuing to line the right side of the hall.

As the silence deepened, Squall's ears were filled with the sound of their muffled footfalls on the thick carpet and the sound of his heartbeat, his blood pumping at a constant, even pace. The sun had finally set and dusk was quickly fading into night, Squall and Riku's eyes adjusting as light slowly left the house. They had argued about whether they should bring flashlights but it was settled that the beams of light would certainly tip off any of the guards.

Soon they were in front of the door Squall knew led to the master bedroom and the safe and he pushed the door open. Quickly scanning the room before stepping inside, he waved Riku in, the man immediately walking over to a large picture handing on one of the walls.

Riku tucked his own weapon back into his trenchcoat before using both hands to pull the painting off of the wall revealing a safe embedded in the wall. Letting out a short laugh, Riku shook his head as he set the artwork down, "Typical. Some men have no imagination."

"Do you know how to crack a safe?"

"Please, this isn't my first break-in Leon. Just keep watch, alright?"

Narrowing his eyes, Squall positioned himself by the window looking down on the gardens so that he could also see out into the hall, trying to block out the sound of Riku fiddling with the lock as his ears strained to pick up the sound of footsteps.

Squall tried not to jump as Zexion came back over the radio, "--You have four minutes left--"

"Riku…"

"I'm going as fast as I can. I only have two more numbers to go."

Counting the seconds in his head, Squall started getting nervous, his worry spiking as the sound he had been listening for reached his ears, "I'm hearing footsteps."

He heard Zexion let out a little curse and the sound of typing, "--I have hacked into the security cameras. It seems as if a guard has just made his way into the house. He is still on the first floor but he is making his way towards the area where the stairs are located--"

Just as Squall was about to tell Riku to hurry up, the other man let out a small noise of victory as the safe swung open. Squall would have been elated if it had not let out an ear-piercing shriek as it did so.

There was a pause before the footsteps became clearly audible, Riku cursing as he pulled a fabric bag out of his trench pocket. Squall ran over to help, the two together ungracefully shoveling the safe's contents into the bag as the footsteps grew louder.

"--You have forty seconds before the security system comes back on line and the guard has made it to the bottom of the stairs. And I should mention that the man has a handgun drawn--"

"That's fine, so do we." Riku pulled his weapon out as Squall threw the bag over his shoulder, never having put his own gun away. Racing out of the room, they didn't even hesitate as the guard spotted them leaving the room and let out a sharp shout, "Hey, you two! Freeze!"

The command brought a smirk to Riku's face, Squall focusing on the billiards room door as they charged towards it, no longer worrying about being quiet.

"Freeze or I'll shoot!" By the sound of it, the guard was already near the top of the stairs.

This time Riku laughed and they reached the billiards room door, Squall wrenching it open. Just as they were rushing through, the sound of gunfire ripped through the air and Squall immediately dropped into a dive-roll. Somersaulting over the bag of goods, he naturally righted himself so that he was looking back into the hall, his gun at the ready, and was met with the sight of a guard standing in the hallway and taking aim for another shot.

Seeing that his partner was making a stand, Riku spun around and in one fluid movement aimed and fired his gun, the bullet flying straight into the guard's chest. The man fell motionless to the floor, Squall seeing a grin on Riku's face before his attention was caught by the sound of more footsteps thundering inside.

"--The security system is back online. The guards know you are here and they are calling the police as I speak. I suggest that you quickly make your way out--"

Squall swore under his breath as an alarm suddenly went off and practically vaulted the pool table in his hurry to reach the window they had used as an entrance point. Riku beat him to it and tugged on the window, "Shit! It's locked shut!"

"Must be a security feature."

Hearing guards rush up the staircase behind them, Riku turned to face the open doorway and raised his gun, "I guess we'll just have to find another exit."

Squall shook his head as he shoved Riku to the side to try to open the window. It really was stuck closed. By the sounds of the footsteps thundering up the stairs, there were about four to six guards coming up to meet them. Against those odds, there wasn't much of a chance of them making it out no matter their skills with firearms. Especially considering that the guards were about to come across the body of their fallen comrade and were likely to become much less forgiving. They needed to leave through this window and something like a lock had never stopped a SeeD before.

"Back up Riku." Riku gave an annoyed glance as Squall pushed him further out of the way. Hearing alarmed cries as the guards found the man who had been shot, Squall quickly fired two rounds into the window frame next to the locking device. Having fried any electronic lock, Squall used sheer brute strength to force the window open, jumping through it as he heard another order to "freeze" being shouted at them.

Falling two stories, Squall landed in a roll on the grass outside to break his fall. Hurrying to his feet, he saw Riku flip out of the window just as the sound of gunfire pierced the night air, shards of wood flying into the air as bullets aimed at Riku's body embedded themselves into the window frame. With all the skills of a professional gymnast, Riku snagged the outside edge of the windowsill. Using it to anchor himself to the exterior wall of the estate, Riku slid down, his fingers catching the decoration around the first story window to slow his fall before he hit the ground.

As soon as they were both on their feet they took off towards the wall, the guards beginning to take shots at them from the window. Squall met Riku's gaze with his own as they reached the wall and plan sparked in both of their eyes. Crouching down, Riku laced his fingers together, acting as a human footstool and helping to launch Squall high enough to grasp the top edge of the wall. With a heavy bag in one hand and a handgun still clasped in the other, Squall steeled himself and forced his muscles to pull him up to the top.

With bullets skimmed over his head, Riku busied himself with returning fire as Squall hauled himself up. As soon as Squall had himself balanced he dropped the bag onto the other side of the wall and reached his hand down. Seeing it out of the corner of his eye, Riku jumped and caught Squall's arm around his wrist, having to trust his accomplice to both pull him to safety and to keep him from getting shot.

Squall grimaced as he saw one of the guards slowly take aim, clearly intent on taking at least one of the thieves down. Straining himself, he pulled Riku high enough so that he could grab the top of the wall. As soon as Riku had a grip, Squall raised his free hand and fired a shot at the guard just as he saw the man's finger tense to pull the trigger. For perhaps the first time in his life Squall was thankful for his military training. The bullet had gone exactly where he had wanted it to; straight into the guard's hand, causing him to drop his gun with a shout of pain.

A moment later, Riku managed to straddle the wall and then flip the other leg over. Both men jumped down to the ground as the bullets continued to fly, Squall letting out a small grunt of pain as one grazed his shoulder. Momentarily ignoring the sting, he grabbed the loot bag and followed Riku to the van. Zexion already had the vehicle started up and had left the back doors open and they dove inside. Squall landed on top of Riku, not having the luxury to care about their position as a bullet managed to get inside the van, ricocheting off of the ceiling and causing both men to cover their heads. Blindly reaching back, Squall tugged the doors closed and they heard the wheels screeched as Zexion hit the gas.

The force of the acceleration slammed Squall and Riku back against the doors they had just closed, Riku pushing away as soon as he could, "Well that was way more trouble than it should've been."

Tossing the bag to Riku, Squall let out a sigh as he took a moment to examine the graze on his shoulder, "So that was abnormal then?"

"I think I'll blame you."

"I'll remember that for the next time someone is aiming at your back."

"—Enough bickering. All that matters is that you got out with the money, correct?--"

Riku pulled the bag into his lap as he remained sitting on the floor, his look of annoyance replaced with one of satisfaction, "Speaking of which…let's see what we got."

* * *

"Strife! We got a lead!"

Cloud opened his eyes, his concentration disintegrating as his mind was once again filled with the sound of telephone calls, papers shuffling, and the incessant typing. Glaring up at his partner as he burst into their office, Cloud ran a hand through his unruly hair, "What is it Axel?"

The fiery red-head grinned down at him, a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth as he threw a file down onto the blonde's desk, "Our perps just pulled another heist. Check it out!"

Cloud eyed the other man before flipping over the manila file, eyes darting across the typed pages inside. There had been a robbery at the Richards Estate, one of the wealthier families in the area…apparently the robbery had been interrupted by the guards, although it seemed that the theives had somehow managed to hack into the security system…Skipping down to what he really wanted to know, Cloud's eyes skimmed the paragraphs. "Damn…"

"Ya, I know. Apparently no genetic evidence or finger prints were found, nor could any of the guards decide on what our perps looked like. Or how old they were. Or race, height, weight, and I think gender was also called into question."

Slowly letting out a long breath of air, Cloud rested his forehead in his hands. Axel let him think, choosing instead to flop down at his own desk, turn on his computer, and start a game of solitaire. Finally looking back up, Cloud leaned back in his chair, "So…what do we know?"

"Not much. It seems to be three or four guys working together. They work out of a black van they park near their targeted house. Two of the team actually breaks into the house and, from what I've heard from the witnesses, they're unusually athletic and work fast. Definitely professionals."

"Why are these guys so hard to pin down?"

"Because they're not stupid like most of the idiots we go after?"

It was true. As a detective in a quiet place like Twilight Town, you didn't get many cases and when you did it was a crime committed by some low-life who didn't possess the capacity to cover his tracks. Having moved here from Midgar, it never ceased to amaze him.

Axel's voice loudly interrupted his thoughts, again, "Oo, look, our sexy receptionist came to visit."

Immediately Axel was belted with wadded up balls of paper from two directions, Cloud speaking up before the newcomer recovered from his rage, "Axel, talk about my little brother like that again in my presence and I will castrate you with a paperclip."

The short blond who had appeared in the doorway stalked inside, slamming a pile of paperwork onto Axel's desk, "Just for that, _you_ get to finish all this."

Pouting, Axel loosened his tie, "Come on Roxy, you know I was kidding, don't you?"

"Don't you know I don't care?" Cloud smirked at his younger brother's response. Roxas had been the reason he had moved out to Twilight Town in the first place. Roxas had moved out to Twilight Town to go to college and had fallen in love with the place. By that time, Cloud was already working for the Midgar police force but had requested a transfer when he learned Roxas had no intention of moving back to the big city. In the end Roxas had followed him into police work although currently he was stuck in a desk job at the station, mostly because of his inexperience. The kid was only 22 still and straight out of college so it made sense. Then again, Cloud himself was a detective at 24 so if Roxas put his mind to it, he should be able to move up the ladder pretty quickly. After all, Axel had managed it and he was only 28. How hard could it be in Twilight Town?

Ignoring Axel's protests, Roxas sat on the edge of his brother's desk, "So Cloud, what are you gonna do now? This lead was kind of a flop."

"I'm not sure yet…we'll learn what we can from this but I think we'll just have to wait until they strike again." Shuffling through some papers on his desk, Cloud frowned thoughtfully, "I contacted a detective in Dark City and it seems that they've been experiencing a similar run of robberies. I've requested copies of the reports, so hopefully we'll be able to find some clues."

Axel scowled, "Dark City PD should take the case, not us. They have twice as many men and four times our funding."

"I think robberies are some of the least of their worries Axel. Besides, we need to earn our salary somehow. A little hard work won't kill you."


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, third chapter's up! I just want to add before I begin that a lot of people have been mentioning the song "The City is at War" by Starship Cobra; that was in fact the inspiration for this story's name and one of the songs I listen to when I write it! That's probably why the song sounds a little similar! ^^ Thank you so much to: DeNiSaY60, Aindel S. Druida, Emerald Moonrose, infinityinmirrors, xLion-Heartx, RealityInABottle, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Shinimegami7, b4k4 ch4n, cneko2, andhearts, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, FlurryDivider, krad, flammula, ooXloveXoo582, Bane-Dane, RavenGhost, Keira-93, ramen-is-my-goddess, Velvet Chaos, Taryn Eithne, Yudis, and CloudedMirror for reviewing, I always appreciate it! Please enjoy!

O

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

"Shit, that's going to need some stitches."

Squall grunted in agreement as he slowed his bike to a crawl, just having entered into the Second District. Zexion had dropped them off at the train station after Riku and Squall had changed their clothes in the back, the two leaving the loot in the van as they bailed out just in time to catch the train back to Traverse Town. It was nearly 3 in the morning when they got back into town, Squall having spent the entire ride trying to hide the fact that he was bleeding rather heavily. The bullet graze on his shoulder had been deeper than he thought and he had been lucky Zexion had the foresight to pack a small first-aid kit, otherwise he would've been bleeding all over his seat on the train. Riku had somehow managed to wrangle Squall into giving him a ride, at least until they got into the Second District. And since they had just arrived, "Alright, time for you to get off."

Squall could only assume Riku gave him an annoyed look, the pale man perched behind him on the seat. "First, are you going to go to the hospital for that?"

"Why so concerned?"

"I'm concerned because if you go in, they'll realize that's a bullet wound and start asking you questions."

"Then I'll take care of it myself."

"Using one arm?"

"Look Riku, what are you getting at?"

"I mean to protect _myself_ I'm going to stitch you up. So let's get this over with."

"And where do you propose you 'stitch me up'?"

"Uh, your house?"

Squall pulled the breaks tight, pitching Riku forward as Squall turned around to glare at him, "You think I'm going to show a professional hitman where I live and bring him into my home?"

Rolling his eyes, Riku let out a breath of air, "I swear I'm not going to break in during the middle of the night and kill your wife and kids, alright?"

Skipping over Riku's comment, Squall got right to the point as he gave Riku a flat stare. "There's no way in hell I trust you enough to let you near my house."

"Well do you know anyone else who will stitch up your bloody gash without questions?"

Squall fell silent. It's not like he could ask Sora to do it. He was planning on just taking a bunch of pain killers and keeping it bound up until it healed but, as much as he hated to admit it, Riku was probably right. If he didn't want it to get infected, it would need to be stitched up. But to allow Riku into his home…

Inhaling to calm his nerves, Squall closed his eyes. "If you…you ever come to my home uninvited, I will break your neck. Understand?"

He got a small laugh in response, Riku leaning back a little, "Please, don't threaten me. Although, since it's coming from you, I might be convinced to believe it. Now, let's get going. I want to get to sleep eventually."

As nervous as it made him, Squall found himself left with no other plausible choice than to let Riku help. Besides, it was late. Chances were that Sora was already asleep, and the boy was a heavy sleeper… "Fine. But you'll have to be quiet."

"Who's doing who a favor here?"

Squall grimaced and bit his tongue. Riku was lucky that he needed his help. "Whatever."

It didn't take long for Squall to pull up in front of his house, shooing Riku off the bike so he could park it back in the alleyway. Glancing back at Riku only to find the man glancing around in apparent boredom, Squall let out a sigh and walked to the front door. Pulling the house keys out of his jacket pocket, he let himself and Riku in, not bothering to lock the door behind them. He was going to make sure Riku didn't stay long.

Sora had left the lights on again in the front room, making it easier for Riku to move around as Squall led him directly to the hall bathroom. As soon as Riku was inside, Squall closed the door before ducking down to dig through the cabinets. He knew that he had medical supplies stored somewhere down here from back when Sora played sports. That boy would come home with more injuries than could be imagined, although he would always be smiling. Ah, there the first kit was, buried way in the back.

Setting the white case on the tiled countertop, Squall turned to Riku, "Let's get this over with."

Riku snapped the kit open as he rolled his eyes, "Then sit down already."

Grudgingly dropping down onto the toilet seat cover, Squall shed his jacket, wincing as the leather brushed over his wound, the bindings having loosened a bit during the trip home. Walking over, Riku sat down on the edge of the tub and made short work of pulling off the rest of the old bandages, a small frown spreading across his face as he caught sight of the bullet wound. "You sure you don't want something to knock you out a little before I start? This might get nasty."

"The painkillers wouldn't kick in in time. Besides I've had worse."

"Ya, well, just don't freak out on me or I'm out of here."

Squall gave him a deadpan look and Riku shrugged his shoulders before pulling out needle and thread, "Hey, you're the one getting your skin sewn up."

The next twenty minutes passed somewhat as a blur to Squall, the soldier trying his best to block out the world as Riku worked on his arm. Luckily, the man either knew what he was doing or was confident enough to accurately make it up as he went because he worked cleanly and quickly. Before Squall knew it, Riku was snipping the excess thread off, the man sitting back to observe his handiwork, "Not too shabby if I say so myself…"

Glancing down at it, Squall frowned. Riku was no medic but it wasn't too bad for an amateur. Not wanting to look at it any longer, he quickly pulled his jacket back on as Riku washed his hands off in the sink. "You're welcome by the way."

Squall grunted out a thanks as he stood, rolling his shoulder before grabbing some pain meds out of the medicine cabinet. Taking two pills dry he heaved a sigh, leaving the bottle out on the counter, "Do you need a ride home?"

"I'm a big boy, I can walk home by myself. Don't I get at least a drink for my services?"

"I'll buy you one the next time we're out."

Smirking, Riku raised his hand. "Alright, I get the hint, I'm leaving."

"Good. I'll show you ou—"

Squall froze as he was interrupted by a soft knock on the bathroom door, his heart dropping down to his stomach as he heard a sleepy voice murmuring from the other side. "Squall, that you?"

Riku raised a brow as Squall inwardly swore. Shit, Sora was not supposed to wake up. "Go back to sleep Sor. Everything's fine."

"'s someone else in there with you? I thought I heard voices…"

Damn his brother's curiosity. He wasn't going to let this go and it would be more suspicious to make a big deal out of it. Looking over his shoulder to give Riku a warning glare, Squall cautiously opened the bathroom door to find Sora standing in the hall in his pajamas and his hair still sticking up in all directions. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his hand, the teen pausing as he caught sight of their visitor.

"Um…Squall? What're you guys doing in the bathroom?"

Thinking on his feet, Squall stepped out so Riku could escape the small space, "Just wanted to go somewhere so we could talk without waking you up."

"Oh…Did you just get back?"

"Ya, we worked late tonight. Just go ahead back to bed."

"Hi," Pushing passed Squall, Riku offered a hand, a charming smile on his face, "My name's Riku, I work with, Squall here." Squall twitched at the sound of his real name passing across Riku's lips. That's right; Sora had already called him Squall twice. This was not good.

A smile spread across Sora's face as he reached out to shake the pale man's hand, his sleepiness having evaporated, "I'm Sora, his brother. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too Sora." Throwing a wink back to Squall, who was fuming at this point, Riku grinned, "Well, I'd better get going. See you back at work Leon."

Glaring holes into his back, Squall watched as Riku sauntered out, immediately locking the door behind the hitman. Sora walked over to meet his brother, peeking out the window to watch their visitor retreat back onto the darkened streets, "He seemed nice! Do you work with him everyday?"

"Unfortunately. Now Sora," Squall turned to his brother, leaning down so that they were eye to eye, "I need to ask something of you. If anyone from my work, or anyone you don't recognize, comes over again, don't answer the door unless I tell you it's okay. And if you have to let them in, always refer to me as 'Leon', not Squall, understand?"

Sora blinked in confusion, "Why?"

"Just…they call me 'Leon' at work so they won't understand if you call me Squall. Alright? Promise me you will Sora."

Surprised at his brother's seriousness, Sora could only nod, "O-okay."

"Good." Letting a long breath escape him, Squall ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly feeling ridiculously tired, "Now how about we both get some sleep?"

Sora nodded again, slowly relaxing again as his brother slowly began to unwind, "Okay. Tomorrow's Saturday so you can sleep in, right?"

A smile slipped across his face at the news. "Ya, I guess I can. How 'bout I make us brunch tomorrow?"

Sora's face lit up, "With your pancakes?"

"Of course. Now, let's make sure you get back under your sheets…"

Grinning, Sora hurried off toward his bedroom, the 15-year-old practically diving under his covers as he buried himself into his bedding. Squall smirked and waited until his brother was settled before ruffling the teen's hair, "Now get some sleep. I don't want you falling asleep in your breakfast."

"You too."

"Right." Squall's smile softened, "Me too."

Watching Sora close his eyes, Squall stepped back and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Squall walked down the hall to his bedroom and made short work of changing into his own sleepwear, throwing his work clothes into the corner to be washed. They smelled like gunpowder. After a quick trip to the bathroom he practically collapsed onto his bed, exhaustion washing over him so quickly his head barely had a chance to hit the pillow before he fell asleep.

_The air was hot and dry as the military jeep rumbled over the sandy terrain, every jolt sending the occupants inside the vehicle bouncing into the air. Dust was flying into the car from the opened front window, the air conditioning having broken years ago. Squall held on tight to the door handle, the next shake sending him flying against the person sitting next to him. Scowling, the man pushed him back into his seat, his blond hair plastered to his face with sweat under his helmet, "Can't you even keep your seat Leon? Get a hold of yourself."_

_Scowling, Squall tightened his grip, managing to hold himself steady at the next bump, "Whatever Seifer. You'd be all over the place if you weren't carrying that cargo on your lap."_

"_Wanna switch?"_

_A man in the passenger's seat turned around, shooting a grin back at the two flustered soldiers, "Can't you two get along for a few minutes?"_

_Seifer was the first to snap back, clearly not in a good mood, "Mind your own business Dincht. And would you close that damn window? It's getting hard to breathe back here with all the crap flying in."_

"_Fine, but don't blame me when the place turns into a sauna." Zell muttered the last bit to himself as he manually rolled the window up. _

_The air inside the jeep slowly cleared a bit without the constant influx of dirt as they continued to hurry towards the bunkers. They had been assigned to make a trip to town to restock some of the supplies and, as if the trip wasn't dangerous enough already, enemy troops had been active in the area. Which was why everyone in the car was currently decked out in full body armor with loaded weapons resting on their laps. Or, in Seifer's case by their feet._

_The man on Seifer's right let out a small murmur, falling silent before nervously speaking up, this time in a coherent sentence, "Hey, I, might be imagining it but I thought I saw something…"_

_Seifer, still annoyed from before, scowled at the poor man, "Well did you see something or didn't you?"_

"_I, I think so. I mean, I think I saw a flash out there."_

_Squall perked up, leaning forward so he could see across the car and outside the man's window, "What do you mean, 'flash'?"_

"_It was just like this flash man, I don't know how else to describe it. Sorta like something metallic."_

_Squall met Seifer's gaze, the two putting their differences aside to share a concerned look, before Squall turned back to the other man, "We should keep our eyes open."_

_Zell had his eyes glued to his own window, examining the desert landscape. "You don't think we should check it out?"_

_The driver, their commanding officer, frowned, "No, we need to get back. We're short on time."_

_The soldiers shared an uneasy glance, Seifer letting out a small growl at the other's silence before speaking up, "I don't know Anderson, it seems like something we should look into."_

_Turning to look over his shoulder, their commander's frown deepened, "We'll check it out tomorrow alright? Settle down and sto—"_

_The rest of his sentence disintegrated into the air as Squall's vision was suddenly filled by an explosion, screams and the sound of crunching metal pounding against his ears as the jeep rolled once, twice, then a third time. Daring to open his eyes as he felt the car came to a rest, Squall did a mental check. He seemed okay, alive at least. His leg hurt like hell; it was at least a sprain, probably a break. Squall got his seatbelt off and forced the door open, slamming his good foot against it until the car door popped open._

_The jeep had thankfully landed right-side up, although the frame had been so beaten that the roof was crunched down on top of them. Glancing over, Squall caught sight of Seifer slouched over the box that was in his lap, a small trickle of blood coming down from his hairline. Shaking the man's arm, Squall heaved a shaky sigh as Seifer's blue eyes flickered open, a moan coming from the passenger's seat at the same time. Seeing that Seifer was alive, Squall looked up front, "Zell, you alright?"_

"_Y-yeah…Ah, gods, what the hell…? What the hell happened?"_

"_We got hit, probably a RPG." They had been having trouble with the enemy getting a hold of rocket-propelled grenades for a few weeks, but this was the first time that they had used one on a supply run. "Hey, Seifer, you awake?"_

"_Mmn…Leonhart?"_

_Zell looked back and, seeing that Squall was able to get his door open, began to struggle with freeing himself in his seat, "Hey, get Almasy and Harris out so I can crawl back there."_

"_What about Anderson?"_

_Pausing, Zell's shoulders seemed to fall a little and he shook his head, "Naw man, he's gone…"_

_Squall's heart beat a little faster; their commander couldn't be—"Are you sure?"_

"_Yeah. I'm sure."_

_It was then that Squall noticed the splatter of blood on Zell's left arm and knew not to ask again. From his spot behind the driver, he couldn't see the carnage but, from Dincht's expression, it wasn't pretty. Steeling himself, Squall pushed his legs out of the broken jeep and grabbed Seifer's arm, pulling the man toward their escape hatch. Slapping his hands away, Seifer shook his head as if to clear it before pushing the cargo box off of his lap. Scooting across the leather seat, Seifer practically clawed his way out of the wreckage, tumbled out onto the sand with a wince. _

_Looking back in the car Squall realized that Harris wasn't going anywhere either. The man who had first caught sight of the enemy had clearly not made it through, his head having smashed into the window hard enough to shatter the glass, blood beginning to pool in the seat. Turning his head before he saw more, Squall forced down some vomit and caught Zell's eye, the man immediately understanding._

_Shaking his head, Zell motioned for Squall to get out before crawling into the back seat. Purposefully avoiding looking at the fallen man, Zell continued to crawl, pushing his weapon out before him before Squall hoisted him out of the wreckage. Sucking in a breath of air, the three survivors stared at each other, the moment shattered by the sound of gunfire._

_Swearing, Squall grabbed his weapon, Seifer and Zell doing the same as they used the ruined jeep as a shield. Not feeling able to stand up, Squall army crawled underneath the vehicle, ignoring the oil leaking down onto his helmet as he tried to locate the enemy. Watching from the corner of his eye as Seifer positioned himself near the hood and Zell moved toward the trunk, Squall's vision finally focused in on two figures running across the sands._

_The men seemed to spot them as well because the next shots they fired came dangerously close to their targets. Hearing the sharp "ping" of bullets bouncing off of the frame of the car above him, Squall ducked as sand sprayed up into his face. "They're carrying automatics!"_

"_Ya, I noticed!" Seifer growled as he took aim, his face enraged, "I got the one on the left."_

_Hearing the other SeeD load his gun, Squall flicked the safety off of his own weapon and took aim at the man on the right, "Zell, I got the right. Cover us if we miss."_

"_Gotcha, I'm on clean-up."_

_As they raised their weapons, Squall was sure that the men would stop running toward them. Taking aim, Squall zeroed in on the man on the right, exhaling as he prepared to fire. They weren't stopping, seeming determined to get closer in order to get the best shot possible at the SeeD. The sight made Squall hesitate for a second but their devotion to their mission didn't seem to phase Seifer as he fired. The sound shook Squall from his surprise and he made sure he was still on target before firing his own weapon. _

_He saw his bullet fly into the man's chest, shock on the man's face as he fell to his knees, blood starting to blossom on his chest through his shirt. Squall couldn't turn away, even from this distance able to watch the life fade from the man's eyes before he collapsed forward into the sand._

_All of a sudden, the man's head lifted, his eyes still glazed over, and raised his gun and fired, the bullet flying right between Squall's eyes._

Gasping, Squall sat upright in bed drenched in sweat, his hand immediately flying to his forehead to try and staunch the blood. Finding his forehead free of any wounds, his heartbeat slowly began to slow, Squall's hand trembling as he moved down to clutch at his sheets. He was at home. In his bed.

Wincing as a dull pain shot through his bicep, Squall slowly laid back down. What a nightmare. Unfortunately it had really happened, up to the point where the man he shot came back to life…in reality, he had stayed down. Trying to shake the memories away, Squall ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn't thought of that it months…it had been his, Seifer, and Zell's first real combat experience, trainees fresh from training camp. He had carried back the worst injuries, his leg having been stuck in a brace for three weeks. But why had he thought of it now…?

It must've been that man that Riku killed that night. Last night, whenever the hell it was. He had died in nearly the same way, a single shot to the chest, and had gone down with that same look of shock.

He had thought that he had been prepared for anything when he signed up for this new job but he hadn't counted on the emotional toll. He thought he had left that behind when he had returned to Traverse Town. Apparently he had been wrong.

Staring up at the ceiling, Squall tried to forget, letting the rhythmic sound of his own breathing continue to calm him. He wasn't sure if he could continue to put himself through this sort of stress. But it wasn't like he could easily escape the deal he had made with Zexion; what's more, it wasn't like he could easily find another job.

He would just have to continue in his current line of work while looking for another job on the side. He would have less time to rest up if he went out during business hours to look for work, but if he could find something legitimate it would be worth it. With this thought in mind he pulled his covers back up over his body, a chill having fallen over him since the sweat he had been coated in had dried, and slowly fell back into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

* * *

Cloud looked up from his computer screen as he heard Axel's chair creak, signaling that the other man was getting up. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Home! It's almost midnight and I gotta get my beauty sleep…"

"We're still going through the files."

"Ya, and we've been doing that for the past eight hours! We ate lunch and dinner in this room and I think I've worked enough overtime for today." Axel eyed him for a moment as he pulled off his tie, "I'm beginning to think that you're taking this case a little personally Cloud."

Cloud glared up at the redhead but Axel was saved a scathing response when Roxas burst into the closed office, a small glare on his face, "Cloud! I hate to say it but Axel's right! You said you'd take me home three hours ago!"

Sighing, Cloud leaned back in his chair, "Sorry Roxas…just let me finish this up, alright?"

The smaller blond scowled, "That's what you said three hours ago."

"Don't worry," throwing an arm around Roxas's shoulders, Axel pulled the surprised man to his chest, "I'll drive you home Roxy."

Cloud gave his partner an even stare before leaning forward and closing down the windows he had open, "I don't think so. I'll be ready to go in a few minutes Rox. Axel, you'd better be ready to hit the streets tomorrow morning, we've got some fugitives to track down."

* * *

The next morning, Squall woke up to the sound of the shower running across the hall. Blinking slowly, he glanced over at the clock on his bedside table. 10:34am. He raised a sleepy brow at the sight; this was the latest he had slept in for over two years. And he had to admit it felt rather nice.

Freeing himself from a tangle of blankets, Squall stood up and stretched, his muscles a little sore from all the strain they had been put through last night. Hearing the shower shut off, he waited a few moments for Sora to vacate the bathroom before opening his bedroom door and trudging into the room himself, still not completely awake yet. The shower helped, and by the time he had dried off and reemerged into the hall his eyes were fully open and his thoughts coherent.

Moving back into his room, Squall glanced at his closest then grudgingly changed into some clothes despite the urge he had to wear his pajamas around all day. He was going job searching after all; showing up to an interview wearing only cotton pajama pants would probably not be the best first impression to make upon a future employer.

Squall found Sora in the family room, the teen's eyes glued to the television screen. "Saturday morning cartoons? Really?"

Sora jumped then turned on his brother with a small pout that was probably supposed to be a glare, "Don't sneak up on people!" A look of confusion passed over his face, "Why are you dressed already?"

"I'm going into town after breakfast."

"What for?"

"Just some errands. Probably a grocery store run too so if you want anything make sure it's on the list before I leave."

"Alright! How can I help with breakfast?"

Squall smiled as Sora bounced up from the couch, "I can take care of the pancakes if you want to make some eggs and bacon. Will that be enough food for you?"

Sora's stomach chose that moment to let out a loud grumble and the teen grinned, "Should be! Just make a lot of pancakes!"

"How many do you want?"

"Five, or six, or seven!"

Shaking his head, Squall headed for the kitchen, "Let's start with four each and go from there…"

Breakfast turned out to be quite the affair although he and Sora managed to pull out a good meal in the end by some miracle. After he had washed the huge amount of dishes that had accumulated Squall located Sora, who he had shooed out of the kitchen, and told him that he would be back as soon as he could.

It felt too weird to ride his bike after he had used it in his getaway last night so he opted to walk. It had been a while since he had the spare time to just stroll through town and the quiet was nice. He reached the First District before he would have wished, his brow furrowing slightly as a small crowd of weekend shoppers came into view. He still didn't feel ready to run into any old acquaintances, didn't feel like talking in general.

Luckily he didn't seem to be recognized or, if he was, no one approached him. However, that was the only luck Squall had all day. He went into every shop on the square to ask if they needed help and every single one of them turned him down. The shopkeepers were always apologetic which occasionally made the sting worse. He needed a job, not pity.

Completely frustrated, Squall stopped by the grocery store like he told Sora he would. Picking up some fresh food for dinner, he slowly wandered back toward the Second District. He couldn't let the day's results phase him. He would just have to keep trying, that's all there was to it. Something had to come up eventually.

Sighing as he walked up to his home, he unlocked the door only to be met with the sight of Sora rushing toward him, a skateboard in the teen's hands. "What are you up to?"

Sora paused at seeing his older brother, surprise written across his face, "Squall! You're back! I was just going skateboarding."

"When did you learn to skateboard?"

"A while ago I guess; I'm not very good yet, but I'm learning! I'm trying to get back in shape so I can try out for the soccer team next semester."

Tilting his head to the side, Squall considered his brother for a moment before shrugging, "Just put a helmet on before you go out."

"Okay! Oh hey, did you get something for dinner?"

"Ya, so don't stay out too late."

Sora grinned and nodded, squeezing passed Squall to hurry outside. Squall watched him disappear around the corner, undoubtedly heading for a more open space in the courtyard, and let out a little sigh. It would be nice to go out just for the sake of having fun sometime again…But right now he had groceries to put away.

Walking into the kitchen, he set the heavy bags onto the counter and immediately pulled out the items that needed to be kept cold. The walk had taken about half an hour and he didn't want anything to get ruined just because it had melted or spoiled or whatever. Pulling the things he would need for dinner as he went, Squall had just finished when he heard a soft cry. Recognizing his brother's voice even from that distance, he immediately dropped what was in his hand and went out to investigate.

Leaving the house, he hurried down the street and around the corner, his heart quickening slightly as he caught sight of his brother sitting on the ground next to his skateboard, clutching his arm. Spotting him coming, Sora looked up and gave Squall a sheepish smile, "I fell off the board."

Sighing, Squall squatted down next to him and pried his hand away from his wound. Some of the skin on his arm had been scrapped away and Squall could only assume that the teen had fallen onto his side. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Come inside and we'll get you fixed up before dinner, alright?"

Sora nodded, still looking slightly ashamed, almost mad at himself, "Sorry, I didn't want to make you worry…"

Squall blinked before his face softened and he hauled Sora to his feet by his good arm, "I'll worry about you no matter what you do, it's my job as your older brother."

This coaxed a small smile out of Sora who grabbed his board and let Squall pull him back towards their home. Once they were inside, Squall continued to guide Sora until they were in the bathroom, Squall trying not to think about how he himself had been patched up in that same room not more than a few hours before. Easily finding the first aid kit, having know exactly where it was now, Squall turned back to his brother, "Go ahead and sit on the counter."

Sora nodded and hopped up. Squall moved closer and gingerly rolled up Sora's sleeve, a frown spreading across his face. Large bruises were beginning to appear on the teen's thin arm, blood still streaking down toward his elbow. "Hold on, I'm going to clean it."

Grabbing the softest towel he could find, he gently began to wash all the debris from the abrasion. Sora winced a little but kept himself still, a small crease appearing on his forehead as Squall pulled a small bottle from the kit.

"This is going to sting."

Sora nodded again, biting his lip as Squall soaked a cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide. Seeing his anxiousness, Squall rested his free hand in what he hoped was a comforting manner on Sora's shoulder. It seemed to help because Sora relaxed a little, even as Squall pressed the cotton to the edges of the wound. A small hiss of pain escaped the teen, his eyes watering although no tears escaped.

"I'm done Sor, you did great…" Squall's voice trailed off as he took another look at the scrape. It was still bleeding and the bruising almost seemed to be spreading. It should have began to clot up.

Grabbing a roll of bandages from the kit, he quickly wrapped Sora's arm, watching his brother to make sure he wasn't pulling it too tight, "Does that feel okay? Too loose, too tight?"

"No, it feels alright but, it still hurts a little…"

"It will probably hurt for a few more hours at least." Grabbing the bottle of painkillers he had been using all morning, Squall was about to pass the bottle to Sora when he noticed that the bandage he had just wrapped around Sora's arm was already beginning to be stained red. Tilting his head in confusion, Squall's brow furrowed as he put the pill bottle down and gently pressed on the bandage, his thumb coming away stained with Sora's blood. It should have definitely started to clot by now.

Looking up at Sora's face, he noticed that the teen had grown paler. Bitting back a curse, Squall unwrapped the scrape to see what was going on, a spark of panic lighting in him. The wound was still bleeding readily, as if Sora had fallen two seconds ago.

He was startled by Sora's voice, his little brother obviously nervous because of his worry, "What's wrong?"

"That painkiller's going to have to wait, it'll just thin out your blood. You're not clotting." That wasn't the only thing that was bothering Squall. By now, most of Sora's side that had hit the ground was covered in bruising, his face undoubtedly only saved because the boy had been wearing a helmet.

"…Squall, I feel funny."

There was no way Sora could be feeling normal; blood was still trickling down his arm, a small puddle beginning to form under the boy's palm. The wound hadn't been that big but at this rate...he was loosing way too much blood. "Has this happened before Sora?"

"U-um, no, I don't…I haven't gotten hurt for a while…"

Shaking his head, Squall picked up Sora's wrist and counted his pulse. His blood pressure was already dropping. "Sora, we need to get you to a hospital."

"Mmn, no…'m fine…"

Sora shook his head as emphatically as he could but Squall knew that if he lost any more blood things could become dangerous. Squall rewrapped the scrape in a new roll of bandages, pulling the guaze tight to make sure that it was compressing the wound. Picking Sora up despite the teen's weak protest, Squall carried him into the living room and set him down onto the couch before picking up the phone. Dialing 911, he quickly requested an ambulance, keeping an eye on Sora as he spoke with the operator. The boy's eyelids were drooping and it looked like he was probably going to pass out soon.

An ambulance arrived soon after, Squall loosing track of everything in the flurry of activity except for Sora, barely remembering to lock up the house behind him before jumping into the back of the ambulance. He kept a tight grip on his brother's hand, even as Sora fell unconscious.

As soon as they reached the hospital Sora was whisked away on a stretcher by nurses and Squall was herded into a waiting room. There was nothing he hated more than waiting idle while someone he knew was in danger. He had experienced the feeling multiple times, but this was the first time that the other person was a family member. His anxiousness nearly making him ill, Squall forced himself to sit down in one of their uncomfortable chairs. Grabbing a random magazine, he began to flip through it, his eyes registering nothing but blurs of color as the pages turned. He knew Sora would be okay; this was a good hospital and blood loss was practically never fatal if treated quickly. But the fear of loosing Sora wouldn't leave. He was the only family Squall had left, the only real thing that kept him sane. There was nothing worse than this.

Time passed strangely, simultaneously feeling both like a few seconds and days. Finally one of the doctors came to meet him. Hurrying to his feet, Squall walked over to the man, "How's Sora?"

The doctor gave a calming smile, flipping open a file he had tucked under his arm, "Your brother is just fine Mr. Leonhart. In fact, he is almost ready to be taken home. He regained consciousness about fifteen minutes ago but I think he is ready to leave. I can't blame Sora, he's been here for far too many hours for a boy his age."

"What happened?"

Undoubtedly seeing a bit of guilt in Squall's eyes the man shook his head, "Don't worry Mr. Leonhart, what happened was neither your fault nor Sora's. It's because of his Leukemia and the medicine he needs to take. The two combined create a situation where Sora bruises and bleeds easily and his blood is unable to clot properly. We've stopped the bleeding but the bruises are still there. The damage however is only superficial and the bruises should fade away within two weeks, give or take a few days. If you have any other questions or if you notice any further complications, don't hesitate to call my office."

"Yes sir. Thank you."

"It's no trouble. Now, follow me and I'll take you to Sora."

Squall followed willingly and was led to an outpatient room where he found Sora sitting on a cot, his right arm professionally bound, a nurse fussing over him much to the teen's chagrin. When he saw his brother, his whole face lit up, "Squall! Am I allowed to go home now?"

"Yeah" Walking up to him, Squall did a quick visual once-over. Sora looked much better. His color was back and most of the bruising was hidden underneath the bandages, "Feeling okay?"

"A lot better!"

"Let's get you out of here then. Are you okay walking?"

"Yeah, it should be fine." Testing his strength, Sora scooted off of the cot, wobbling only a little before he regained his footing, standing solidly on two feet. "No problem!"

Keeping a watch on him out of the corner of his eye, Squall and Sora walked back out to the reception area so that Squall could check Sora out. While he was speaking with the woman at the desk, he told Sora to buy himself a water bottle at the gift store, both so that he would stay hydrated and so that he wouldn't hear what Squall knew was coming.

"Good evening sir, how can I help you?"

"I'm checking out Sora Leonhart."

Pulling up a few files on her computer, the secretary nodded at him, "Here he is." Printing out a receipt, she tore it off and passed it over to Squall, the man wincing as he saw the total. He knew Emergency Room visits were expensive but still…His parents had bought health insurance for both their sons and it lessened the blow a little but it was still a lot of money they didn't have.

Pulling out a checkbook, Squall quickly wrote out a check for the money, knowing that he had just enough in the bank to pay for it. The woman accepted his check and he filled out the necessary paperwork, locating Sora leaving the hospital store. "Hey kid, I'm ready to go if you are."

A wide smile spread across his lips, "Yeah, let's go!"

As they walked through the hospital doors and out onto the darkening streets Sora fell silent for a few moments. Glancing over at the usually talkative teen, Squall raised a brow, "What's up?"

"Just…I'm sorry…for, what happened."

Seeing that he was truly upset about the matter, Squall shook his head, "Don't worry about it, at all. It wasn't your fault."

"But if I hadn't fallen off—"

Squall interrupted him, "Sor, I would be more bothered if you stayed inside the house all day. You like to be outdoors, you like sports, and just because you're sick doesn't mean you should become someone you're not."

Smiling softly, Sora glanced up at his brother, "Thanks…"

Squall nodded and a few minutes later, Sora started up a conversation, complaining about school and how much he hated math class. Squall listened half-heartedly, his mind distracted as they walked home. He hadn't counted on Sora needing further hospitalization but it was clear that he needed to reconsider how much money he was going to need. Any job that he got in town would have paid enough to cover the necessities but he was going to need more money to keep Sora healthy. And there was only one job he knew about that would be able to pay that much. And that was to work for Zexion.

When they got back home, Squall had Sora relax in front of the TV while he fixed dinner, the preparation interrupted by the phone ringing. Grabbing the phone before Sora could get up, Squall used his shoulder to hold it up against his ear as he continued to chop vegetables. "Hello?"

"Is this Squall speaking?"

Recognizing the voice immediately, Squall turned toward the corner so that Sora wouldn't be able to see his face, "Zexion…how did you get this number?"

"I believe you gave all of your personal information to my coworker at the job search agency. Your home phone was included."

"Use my cell number instead."

"Very well, I will ask you for it when you next come to work. I called today however to let you know that you should bring a duffle bag or backpack with you on Tuesday. I have completed our last deal and you will be getting your share. I assume you will be returning; occasionally our new recruits will try to quit after their first job."

"I'll be there."


	4. Chapter 4

Yay, Chapter 4! I hope that you enjoy this one; I jump character POVs a few times throughout the chapter (it's also one of the longest I've written!), but hopefully it still flows decently! ^^;

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, I always love hearing your responses! So thank you DeNiSaY60, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, ramen-is-my-goddess, Bane-Dane, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, RealityInABottle, Aindel S. Druida, zoe chocobo, Shinimegami7, infinityinmirrors, ChibixLeon, Emerald Moonrose, FlurryDivider, Inedible Sushi, LoneBoy7, Velvet Chaos, CloudedMirror89, xLion-Heartx, ooXloveXoo582, Caithdean, and -xX Twilit Memories Xx-! You guys keep me going! :D

O

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Night had fallen, the neon lights glowing sickly in the darkness as Squall stepped out of his home, locking the door tightly behind him. Sora had pretty much recovered from his accident earlier that week although he wasn't quite back to his energetic self. However he claimed to be feeling alright so Squall let himself focus on his job. Which was where he was heading now.

Glancing back at his house, he couldn't help but worry about Sora as he got onto his motorcycle. He had only been out of the hospital for four nights and he wasn't quite himself. Then again, Sora had always been alright on his own before. Heaving a sigh, Squall shook his head and drew his helmet down over his head, throwing his duffle bag over his shoulder to keep it out of the way. He had to believe Sora would be fine.

Revving his bike to life, Squall rode it out of the alleyway and onto the street, heading toward the Third District. As he passed through the gates separating the neighborhoods, he couldn't help but notice how black the sky looked. With the glare from the halogen lighting, not a single star was visible. There were nights when he had been with SeeD where the sky had been so brightly lit by starlight that it had seemed blinding.

Finding himself at the seemingly-vacant house Zexion had repurposed, he parked his bike near-by. He was no longer afraid of having to make a quick getaway; ever since he had gotten to know his colleagues, he knew that they were skilled enough to kill him before he could reach the door. Speaking of the devils…

He found Riku loitering outside, clearly waiting for him to arrive, "Look who decided to finally come."

Squall huffed, pulling off his helmet as he glared halfheartedly at Riku, too used to his antics to be that upset, "I'm not late. What do you want?"

"I believe that you promised me a drink after work a few nights ago."

"I see, you misunderstood. What I meant to say was, 'Get out of my house and stop hitting on my brother you ass'."

"Then you should've just said that, 'cause now you owe me a drink."

Heaving a sigh, Squall rolled his eyes. He was tired of arguing with this brat. "Whatever."

Apparently knowing Squall enough to take this answer as a "yes" Riku smirked, "Good. And, by the way, you should tell that cute little brother of yours to keep his mouth shut about your personal info, _Squall_."

Squall gave Riku a hard stare, not missing a beat, "And if you ever speak about by brother or my personal information again I will kill you." And he meant it. He would do anything to protect Sora and he was just as deadly as either Riku or Zexion.

Perhaps sensing his seriousness, Riku just shrugged, an infuriating smirk still on his lips as he turned to head inside. Squall grudgingly followed him in, the two entering to find Zexion standing over a pile of bills stacked up on the table.

The man heard them come in and straightened up, raising an imperious eyebrow, "I had not realized that the two of you had grown so close as to be making plans for after work."

Realizing that he was being teased, Squall tossed his dufflebag onto the table, "I don't think 'close' is the right word."

Zexion observed the bag, waiting as Riku walked over and handed him a messenger bag before beginning to casually divide up the stacks of cash into three groups, "I do not care, just do not allow any after work activities to interfere with your competence on the job."

Squall scowled as he dropped down into one of the chairs set up around the table, "You did not just suggest that I have a thing for that brat."

"Don't worry Zex, Leon is _not_ my type. He's just fun to play with."

Lifting his attention from the now money-filled bags, Zexion handed them each their bag, "I pity anyone who ever catches your eye Riku…"

Happily accepting his payment, Riku scoffed, "I feel more sorry for your 'catch'."

The sharp glare Zexion sent him would have pierced metal and, although Riku didn't continue on the subject, Squall had to admit his curiosity was peaked. Clearly Zexion had a lover that Riku knew about. It wasn't too surprising that the platinum blond would know about them, given that Riku and Zexion had known each other for a while, but Squall had trouble imagining what sort of person Zexion would choose to spend his life with.

Switching topics, Zexion cleared his throat, "Now that you have gotten your share of the last job, let us begin on the next."

Squall looked up from counting his take, "You already have another target lined up?"

Sparing Squall a glance as he walked over to a computer, Zexion nodded, "I prefer to work quickly. Idleness leads to sloppy work." Turning on the monitor, he pulled up a satellite image. Squall was unable to make the picture out from where he was sitting but knew that if it was something he needed to see, Zexion would call him over.

Riku however seemed to know exactly what was on the computer with only a glance, "More Twilight Town, are you serious?"

Ignoring Riku, as he often did, Zexion continued on, "It is somewhat similar to our last heist except that this time the home may be occupied. It belongs to a couple who do business across the country and are doing rather well for themselves. While there will be no armed guards this time around, the couple has a security system, is known to keep guns in the house, and also has a dog they keep inside with them, which should make for an entertaining evening for you."

"A dog?" Squall straightened up, a frown on his face, "How are we supposed to get in undetected?"

"Please." Standing up, Riku sauntered over to stand behind Zexion, looking at their next hit, "Zexion, I thought you said that the next job was going to be a challenge."

"Ya, and how are you going to get passed the dog, throw it a piece of steak?"

"Sorry Leon, that only works in cartoons." Resting a hand on his hip, Riku regarded him nonchalantly, "Besides, the fact that a dog is there means that it will be an easy grab."

"How's that?"

Rolling his eyes, Riku slowed his voice as if he were dealing with a five-year-old, "Because Leon, if they have dogs, that means that they probably don't have motion censors installed. An alarm is easy to get passed, you just can't trigger any of the windows or doors."

"What about the dog?"

"Dogs only go after you if you're afraid. If they keep the dog inside it means it's not bred to be a vicious guard dog. If it doesn't smell any fear pheromones coming off of you, they won't even bark. We just get in, get what we need, and get out before the owners ever know the difference."

Squall didn't reply, not wanting to inflate Riku's ego any further. The man obviously had dealt with dogs before and was confident about what he was talking about. Turning his attention to Zexion instead, Squall voiced a question that had been bothering him for a while, "Who was your source on this one?"

Zexion paused in his typing before answering calmly, "Marluxia."

"That's the same guy who told us about the last place?"

"Correct."

"Are you sure we can trust him? None of us know if he's telling the truth and the only thing we know about the house is what he told us."

"I have worked with Marluxia for a while now. Although I can appreciate your concern, I would ask that you not question my methods, Leon."

Not appreciating the brush aside, Squall's frown deepened, "I think I have the right, since I'm putting my life on the line."

"Consider your life to be on the line if you do."

Riku laughed like a spoiled kid watching his sibling get punished and Squall had to fight to stay in his seat and not go beat the crap out of both of them. He was used to more respect than this.

As if sensing his mounting rage, Zexion finally turned around to face his employee, his face still expressionless, "I allow you to do your job as you wish and I expect the same freedom in response." Without waiting for a reply, he dove right into a new lecture, "Now, as to our next venture…we will spend the next few days planning out our routes of entry and escape. I expect you both to work together on it this time, and for both of you to have the blueprints of the mansion memorized down to the last electrical outlet, am I clear Riku?"

Rolling his eyes, Riku gave a lazy mock salute, "Crystal…"

Zexion eyed Riku for a few seconds longer before continuing, "Once again I will be working on the van. While our newest targets' do not have the most modern security system it will still need to be dealt with. I should be able to shut the system down for as long as you need to work this time. Instead of working quickly, your new objective will be to work silently. Once again, you will need to crack a safe, although I have been told that, instead of objects that need to be fenced, our targets keeps large amounts of money."

"Nice, we can go straight to the bank afterwards."

The news was good for Squall as well; if he was able to be paid on the day of the heist then he would feel a lot better about his finances since his bank account was nearing empty. With this thought in mind, he listened closer as Zexion began to speak again. The sooner he made more money the more confident he would feel that he would be able to provide the sort of care Sora deserved.

After that, the days passed quickly. Squall wasn't able to see much of Sora that week, working nights and using the daylight hours to sleep and exercise, determined to keep in peak physical shape. Not matter what he was doing though, he always made it home in time to make dinner and made sure that he spent at least an hour with his brother. During their time together, Sora seemed a little sad, almost tired. Squall knew he was getting lonely and prayed that the boy wasn't losing any sleep. Over the weekend, he would have to set aside an entire day to spend with him, maybe they could take the train to the beach…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Squall refocused his drifting thoughts. The night of their second job had arrived and he was currently sitting in the back of Zexion's van, Riku lazily lounging beside him as they waited to arrive at their destination. Back in Twilight Town, they had copied their old routine, arriving by train and meeting Zexion at the clock tower. Zexion had come in disguise, once again playing the part of a teenager as he drove them around.

Although he had only done one other robbery, it already seemed very familiar to Squall. As the van rumbled on, he and Riku mechanically changed into more suitable attire, prepped their weapons, and pulled on their headsets, Zexion's voice echoing over them after a few moments and interrupting the silence, "—We have arrive at the location. I am pulling around to the back of the estate. You decided to enter through the backyard, correct--?"

"That's right, sunshine. How long are we going to have to give you to shut down the security system?"

"—I will have it done before you even reach the house Riku, unless I decide to leave it on after that little comment—"

"Aw, you wouldn't do that to Leon, would you? Besides, you'd be the first one I'd rat out."

"—Good points, someday I will just have to kill you. But unfortunately I need you for the next few hours—" Squall almost jumped as the van doors were ripped open, Zexion's annoyed face peering in at them, "Get to work."

Not needing to be told twice, Squall hopped out of the car, Riku following before Zexion replaced them, taking up his station at the panel of the computers. The fence this time was only six feet high and made of wrought-iron: pretty, but providing perfect footholds for Riku and Squall. Quickly scaling the pathetic excuse for a barrier, they carefully began to make their way towards the lavish manor.

They had arrived in Twilight Town at dusk and by now the sun had completely disappeared, darkness shielding them as they moved through well-trimmed bushes. All but one of the windows were dark, Squall making out a figure moving around in what he assumed was the master bedroom, judging by the window's location. He glanced over to see that Riku had noticed it too, the man's teal eyes glinting dangerously. Squall hoped that the owners went to bed soon and stayed asleep; he knew that Riku wouldn't hesitate to use force to get what they came for.

Trying to stay as silent as possible in case the dog had been let outside, they slunk towards the home's brick exterior. Having gotten photos of the home, he and Riku had worked out exactly how they were going to get inside, Squall strangely proud at himself for coming up with such an ingenious method.

The house was old and well crafted, even the back door embellished with intricate paneling. Slinking up onto the deck, Squall and Riku waited in silence for a few minutes to see if they had been heard before examining their entrance into the home. After he was certain they hadn't been detected, Squall whispered into his headset, "Zexion, is the security system shut down?"

"—Yes, the main system as been deactivated—"

Hearing the news, Riku reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a paper-thin razor blade, passing it to Squall who immediately got to work. Gently scrapping off the thin layer of paint and sealant that coated the door, Squall slowly pushed the blade under one of the raised sections of the paneling. Most people didn't realize that a paneled door was not a solid piece of wood but instead many sections attached together. Working carefully, he slowly wedged the wooden bar up so that the nails wouldn't squeak as they were pulled out of the wood. He could feel Riku's impatience building but ignored him as he did the same to the other three edges of the door panel. They had discussed whether it would be easier to do it this way or to just break the door down but, since silence was necessary for the job to go smoothly, the slow steady method was decided upon.

Twenty minutes later Riku was just about throttle him when Squall leaned back, setting down the last edge of the panel, "Done…"

Pushing passed him, Riku wedged out the panel, the flat wooden board falling out easily now that it wasn't attached to anything, "It's about time! Gods, you didn't say it was going to take you hours!"

"Relax and shut up, we're in aren't we?"

"—Both of you shut up and get inside. You will have to go up the stairs and into the study—"

"We know." This time Riku took the lead, the young man already impatient and having actually looked at a map. Easily slipping through the square hole left in the door from the missing panel, Riku drew his gun and waited for Squall in what appeared to be a kitchen. Squall had a little more trouble getting in, his body broader and more muscular than his partner's, but eventually managed to crawl through without making too much noise.

Together they made their way through the house, Riku's footfalls silent and Squall's own nearly as quiet as they walked towards the stairs. Since they had entered in on the ground floor, they had to go up to the second in order to get to the safe that the owner of the house kept in his office. The main problem was that, according to the blueprints, the office was directly adjacent to the master bedroom.

Squall and Riku glanced at each other before slowly climbing the stairs, testing their weight on every step to avoid any unnecessary creaking. The sound of his heart beating filled Squall's ears as they crept towards their goal. As if sensing the tension, Zexion remained silent as well and Squall had to wonder if the blue haired man could see what they were doing even from the van.

Allowing himself to breathe as they stepped onto the second floor, Squall followed Riku to the office although his eyes were firmly glued to the door to their right. They had seen the light turn off in the master when they had been working on the door panel, and he prayed that it meant that the estate's occupants had gone to sleep.

Riku, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered in the slightest and walked over to the office door as if knowing that the house was empty. Finding the door unsurprisingly unlocked, Riku waved for Squall to follow him.

The room clearly belonged to a wealthy businessman, a modern, expensive-looking desk sitting in the middle of the room. On the walls were works of art and metal bookshelves lined with momentums and thick tomes. The safe was not immediately visible but they hadn't expected that to be the case.

Remembering their last job, both first checked behind all of the art. Not finding it behind any of the frames, Riku spoke up quietly, "I guess their a little smarter than the last guy. The safe location's not as obvious."

Shifting his weight, Squall looked around the room, "Well it's somewhere in here…" If he were rich, where would he hide his cash?

Hearing their conversation and sensing the problem, Zexion's voice echoed through their headsets, "—Look for anything that seems out of the ordinary. The safe is undoubtedly still hidden either behind or within something—"

Muttering under his breath, Riku began to search the desk area as Squall scanned the area. There wasn't any other furniture in the room besides the desk and the desk chair, excepting the bookcases against the wall. There was however an area rug. Crouching down, Squall holstered his gun so that he would have both hands free and carefully rolled the rug up. He'd read of people hiding things under floor boards before and it wouldn't be a bad spot.

But he was wrong. The hardwood under the rug looked as if it hadn't been touched in years, shellac coating the whole room without any flaws in the layer. No one had been pulling up any of these boards recently.

"Leon…"

Looking up, Squall frowned as he found Riku's eyes on him, a strange glint in the man's eyes, "What? I thought it might be under here—"

"Don't move."

"What..?" Squall's voice caught in his throat as Riku slowly lowered his gun so that it was pointed at him, "Riku, what the hell--?"

"Behind you."

Confused as to what had captured Riku's attention so completely, Squall cautiously glanced over his shoulder, freezing as he realized what it was. Behind him, in the doorway, was the family dog, its body already hunkering down into a defensive stance.

Keeping his eyes on the large animal, Squall heard Riku's calmed voice reached his ears, "Leon, take it easy, it's getting tense because of you. Relax or else it'll bark." Walking passed Squall, Riku lowered his gun and strolled over to the dog as if it was his family pet, going so far as to slowly reach out a hand to pat it on the head. "Hey boy, don't mind us, we'll be done soon…"

Much to Squall's shock, the dog did indeed seem to relax at the silver-haired man's touch, its tail even beginning to wag. Being careful not to get the animal too excited, Riku stepped away to restart his search. As the dog tilted his head, curious as to what these uninvited guests were doing, Squall forced himself to calm down and continue about his business. "How'd you do that?"

"Like I said before, a dog will only start barking if it thinks you're causing trouble. If you act like you're supposed to be here, most of them don't have a problem."

Squall had to admit that Riku was a professional. Not only that, but he had managed to charm a nervous dog into submission with just a touch. It was impressive, and he had to grudgingly admit it; "Nice job…"

"Obviously. Now let's find that stupid safe so we can get out of here."

Continually glancing back at the dog in the doorway, Squall tried to refocus on the task at hand. Right, he was looking for a safe…Rolling the rug back out, he surveyed the room again. If he were the one with the money, where would _he _hide his safe? Getting into the mind of his enemy was something that his was familiar with. Given that the man kept a safe filled with money in his office in the first place, it was clear that he didn't trust formal banks much. Such a cautious, paranoid man would probably keep his safe in a place where he could glance at it frequently, probably at eye level then and somewhere that would be visible when he sat at the desk. That meant it had to be somewhere in the walls…

Walking over to the bookcases, Squall ran his fingers over the book bindings, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The safe must be hidden behind some of the books…or, maybe…His fingers paused as they ran over the edge of the metal shelves, finding an almost invisible hinge.

So that was it. Almost like something from a movie. "Riku…found something."

Riku looked up and made his way over as Squall pulled experimentally on the bookshelf, "Ya? What is it?"

After one more tug, the bookcase budged, turning a bit on its hinge as Squall gave a smug smirk, "Hinged bookcase."

Riku paused for a minute before smiling back, "Cool."

"Give me a hand, the books are weighting it down."

With both of their strength combined, they managed to force the bookcase open enough to expose the wall behind. Sure enough, the safe was embedded within it. Squeezing in between the wall and the backside of the bookcase, Riku got to work. Squall was left to keep an eye on the dog and an ear out for its owners.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before Riku finally dialed in the last number; the safe had been more advanced than the one they had last dealt with and it had nothing for Squall's nerves. He had started jumping at every little noise, his gun drawn but, luckily for everyone involved, wisely keeping his finger off of the trigger as he stood watch. As Riku slowly swung the safe open to make sure it didn't squeak, he pulled a fabric bag from inside his coat. From where Squall was standing he could just see into the safe, his eyes widening as he saw stacks and stacks of bills.

Unfolding the bag, Riku began to grab money in fistfuls, expertly emptying the open safe in less than a minute. Lashing up the bag, he passed it to Squall and squeezed out from behind the bookcase. Spending a few minutes to reach back, close the safe, and push the bookshelf back into place to clean up the scene, Riku and Squall strolled passed the dog and hurried down the stairs as quickly as they could while remaining silent.

The dog trotted down after them, watching inquisitively as Squall and Riku crawled back through the hole in the backdoor, passing the bag between them as they went. Putting the panel back into place, Squall grabbed the wooden sticks he had pulled off earlier and returned them to their places, pushing the nails back into their original holes just enough to make sure that they wouldn't fall right back off again.

Seeing that he was done, Riku grinned into his mic, "Alright Zex, start up the van, we're on our way."

"—I was beginning to wonder. Hurry up, we have been here too long as it is—"

"Alright, alright. Keep your pants on, we'll be there in a second."

Riku and Squall took a lot less time getting back to the van than they had spent making their way sneaking toward the house. Zexion was waiting for them on the other side of the fence with the back of the van opened and waiting for them to jump in. As Riku leapt for the top of the fence, Squall threw the bag full of money over to Zexion who just barely managed to catch it, the small man stumbling under the sudden weight as Riku landed beside him. Following his partner, Squall quickly scaled the fence and climbed into the back of the van. Zexion followed his accomplices, handing the heavy bag back to them as he huffed, "It seems that you made out rather well…Were the inhabitant altered to your presence or did you manage to remain undetected?"

Riku frowned as he pulled off his leather gloves, "What do you think? Of course no one saw us, unless the dog counts."

"It did not give you any problems then I assume?"

Squall glanced back at Riku before smirking, "You didn't tell me Riku was a dog whisperer."

Zexion raised his brows, "Yes, well, I suppose he is able to relate to animals on their own level."

"Just because I can go into a room with a dog and not freak out, unlike some people, _Zexion_, doesn't mean you should be jealous of my skill." Zexion narrowed his eyes and Riku smirked, "By the way, weren't you the one who said we were taking too long? How about you get us out of here?"

Scowling, Zexion bit back, "Then make yourself useful for once and split up the take. Leon, make sure he does not cheat us out of anything, I would not put it past him."

* * *

Axel flicked the ash off of his cigarette before lifting it back to his lips, the sunset-filled sky now a deep red as he and Cloud strolled down one of Twilight Town's back alleys. Although Twilight Town was rather picturesque, it too had its share of rough-necks and hooligans, otherwise fondly known to the two as "informants". They were looking for such a man right now; his name was Setzer, a rather flamboyant looking guy who ran a slightly less than honest casino. While he didn't seem to be participating in any illegal activity himself, besides scamming people out of their money, he did seem to know a lot of Twilight Town's small crime community. It was rumored that he would fence stolen items for thieves but the police had nothing to hold him on, plus he continued to earn their good favor by giving the reliable tips.

Cloud spotted Setzer first, relaxing against a wall in what was commonly known as the Sandlot. The man met his eyes and waved them over casually, not worried about being seen speaking to the detectives since they were in street clothes, working undercover. They nodded to each other as they drew closer, Axel leaning against the wall next to the gambler as Cloud stood in front of him, "Good to see that you could make it Setzer."

"My pleasure, always happy to help out the boys in blue. You were pretty vague when you called."

Blowing out a small cloud of smoke, Axel spoke up, "Got assigned a new case, a robbery at the Richard's place. You hear about it?"

Setzer stared a moment at the redhead and Cloud couldn't blame him. His partner was anything than subtle and even Cloud couldn't help but be a little surprised every time he saw Axel out of the office. At work, Axel would tie his hair back but when he was in casual he spiked it back, his lanky frame emphasized by the jeans and hooded jacket he was wearing. Basically he looked like a punk. Cloud had chosen to be a little more subtle, wearing a dark turtleneck sweater with straight legged jeans. "I believe I read about it in the paper."

"Ya? You hear anything about it from any if your clients?"

Shrugging, Setzer crossed his arms, "I may be able to remember something, but I can't quite recall…"

Sighing, Cloud reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. This was all part of the game and everyone there knew it. Handing the man a small stack of bills, Cloud put his wallet back, "For your troubles. How's your memory doing now?"

"How strange, memories seem to be returning to me." Tucking his payment into his pocket, Setzer looked back up at the blond detective, "A few men came into my casino a few days ago and headed straight to the bar. They were fairly low-brown, not very intelligent and began to talk after a few drinks. I was working that night and happened to overhear their conversation. It seems as if they weren't involved but seemed to be annoyed that some competition had arrived back on the scene from a short hiatus. They seemed to think that he was responsible for the Richard's robbery."

Axel frowned, "Don't suppose you'd happen to have a name for us?"

"They just called him Riku."

"Riku? No last name?"

"Not that I heard."

Cloud committed the name to memory, "Do you have an idea about where we can get more information on this Riku guy?"

"I've heard his name come up once or twice before during the year…there are some thugs who probably have more information for you who I know frequent the Concourse. If I were you, I would talk to them."

Cloud nodded and Axel straightened up, "I guess we'll go check it out then. Thanks for the help, buddy."

Setzer nodded back, "Nice doing business with you gentlemen."

Walking away, Axel blew out another breath of smoke, "Well, that was somewhat useful."

Cloud glanced over at his partner as he slid on a pair of sunglasses to block the glare of the setting sun, "It's the first real lead we've gotten in the case so far. This Riku might be one of the three reported perps from the report."

"So…we goin' down to the Concourse then?" The Underground Concourse was probably the roughest part of Twilight Town. Although it still didn't match areas of Dark City or Midgar as far as crime rates or violence, if a man wasn't careful he could find himself in some trouble. While neither of the detectives were armed Cloud wasn't too worried; both of the men could handle themselves pretty well in a fight. Not that he was expecting one.

"Of course we're going."

"I figured as much…Can we grab a bite to eat first?"

Cloud smirked, "I told you to eat before we left. We're on the clock now so you'll just have to wait."

"Then let's hurry up and get this over with!"

It didn't take them long to work their way down into the concourse, the underground waterways linking up most areas of the city. The entrances could be hard to find if you didn't know where to look but everyone in the Twilight Town Police Department was familiar with all of them, a map set up on the wall in the office with all the passageways drawn out. If a crime happened, like a mugging or a theft, it was likely to happen near one of the entrances to the Concourse and if the criminal managed to escape they always ran into the Concourse to try and elude the cops.

Glancing around to take in his surroundings, Cloud pulled the sunglasses off as they left daylight behind them and descended into the concrete labyrinth. Axel continued on beside him and Cloud had the sneaking suspicion that the man felt rather at home.

After a few minutes of wandering they stumbled across a small band of n'er-do-wells smoking something undoubtedly illegal as they stood huddled together in a circle. Clearing his throat, Cloud lifted his head and watched as all of the thugs slowly spun around, probably thinking that they looked menacing. They weren't actually that impressive.

Never one to beat around the bush, Axel stepped forward and got straight to the point, "Hey, we've got some questions for you. Anyone here ever hear of a guy named 'Riku'?"

The scruffy men eyed them for a moment before one of them spoke up, "Who's askin'?"

"Uh, we are? Listen, do you know anything or not?"

The thug who seemed to be the leader of the group stepped forward, his stance suggesting that he was more than ready to pick a fight, "I don't like your tone, punk. How about you get outta here while you're still able to walk?"

Rolling his eyes at the threat, Cloud whipped out his detective's badge, "Maybe this will change your mind. Tell us what you know about Riku and we won't arrest the lot of you for illegal drug usage."

The mood in the room immediately changed, the leader shifting back a step defensively, "You're cops?"

"Close enough. Now, don't make me repeat myself. What do you know?"

The druggie glanced back at his companions for help but, when none of them spoke up, heaved a deep sigh, "Alright! Don't know much, never met the guy, but rumor down here's that he's some hotshot who decided to go into the burglar business…"

"What did he do before that?"

"Dunno, some say he was some kind of assassin or somethin'…"

Cloud glanced back at Axel in surprise and the redhead piped up with another question before their source lost his nerve and stopped talking, "Is he know for working alone, or does he have a partner."

"I heard he's workin' with this one guy…what's his name, weird name. Ah yeh, that's right, Zexion? That it."

Making a mental note of the name, Cloud retook control of the interrogation, "Zexion? What do you know about him?"

"Not much. Everyone's heard his name but he keeps a low profile. Supposedly he's crazy smart. They both seem crazy. Heard a lotta people end up dead around them when they get too close."

Seeing a change come over the man's face, Cloud had done enough interrogations in his life to know that the man was finished talking and had scared himself into silence. They now had two out of three names and if these guys were telling the truth Zexion and Riku were pretty big players in the Twilight Town crime scene and were likely to have files back at the station. "Thanks for your help. And the next time we catch you down here, we'll be writing you up for drug possession. Just a warning…" Catching Axel's eye, Cloud nodded towards the exit, "Come on, let's get out of here."

* * *

By the time Squall had arrived back in Traverse Town, the sun was threatening to reappear on the eastern horizon. They had spent an extra hour or so splitting up the money in the back of the van once they drove away from the estate and then Zexion had made him and Riku walk back to the train station with their pockets laden down with hundreds.

Parking his bike in the alleyway, Squall tried to remain as quiet as possible so as to not wake up the neighbors. According to his cell phone it was nearly 5 in the morning, much too early, or late, to be out. As he stepped into his house he wasn't surprised to find the lights on in the front room, since Sora always left them on for him; he didn't want anything more than to fall onto his bed and sleep for about ten hours.

Making his way toward his bedroom, Squall paused, his eyebrows furrowing as he turned the corner and saw the bathroom door cracked open with light spilling out from the inside. "Sora…?"

"Mnn…Sq-Squall."

Dropping his coat, Squall ran for the bathroom, hearing the sound of vomiting just as he reached the door. Throwing himself into the room, he found Sora crouching over the toilet, the poor boy pale and trembling. "Sora! What happened!"

The teen was drenched in sweat and panting for breath as he coughed into the water. Reaching a hand out, Squall pressed his palm to Sora's forehead and felt a raging fever, "Ngh, I, I think I-I caught some-something at…school."

Grabbing a hand towel Squall soaked it in cold water at the sink before sitting down. "Come here." Squall pulled Sora into his lap while making sure to keep the boy's head near the toilet seat in case he got sick again. Sora leaned back against him and Squall pressed the towel to the boy's head, a soft whimper escaping his little brother as he continued to shiver. A thick wave of guilt crashed down on Squall and he clutched Sora tighter. He hadn't been there when Sora had needed him.

"Sora, take it easy. You'll be alright." Rubbing Sora's back comfortingly, Squall couldn't help but think about how fragile Sora felt in his arms. He felt sick again and the thought of Sora relapsing sent a shock of terror through him.

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, Squall found the phone number the doctor had given him the last time they were at the hospital and dialed, the fact that it was so early not even entering in his mind. "Hello? This is Squall Leonhart, Sora's brother."

A sleepy voice answered back, the doctor clearly having been roused from slumber, "Ah, yes…Squall, what can I do for you?"

"It's Sora." Squall winced as Sora lurched forward to vomit again, "I just got home from work and found him vomiting and feverish."

The doctor now sounded fully awake, "You need to bring him into the hospital. It sounds like the flu but with Sora's compromised immune system it could be very serious if he doesn't get some medical attention. My shift doesn't start until eight this morning but I'll try to make it there early. In the meantime the doctors there should take good care of him. I'll call the hospital and tell them to send an ambulance so we can start getting fluids into him."

"Alright, is there anything I can do?"

"Get him ready to leave and try to keep his fever down until the ambulance gets there."

"Understood." Hanging up, Squall lifted Sora up and placed him on the ground beside him, "Hey Sor, we're going to have to go back to the hospital."

"N-no, I'm 'lright…"

"Then just go along with it for my sake, okay?" Squall pushed himself to his feet and walked towards the door, "I'm going to go get you a sweatshirt."

"Squall…"

Feet stalling at the plaintive sound, Squall glanced back over his shoulder, "What is it?"

"…Sorry."

A small, sad smile worked its way onto Squall's face and he retraced his steps, walking back over to Sora to plant a light kiss on the top of his head, combing through Sora's sweat-covered hair with his fingers. "Not your fault." Standing back up, he made it to the door this time as Sora remained hanging over the toilet, "I'll be right back."

The ambulance arrived not too long after Squall had called Sora's doctor, the EMTs getting straight to work and putting an IV into Sora's arm to pump some liquid back into his system. Squall followed the ambulance on his bike, the sunrise just breaking through the horizon as they arrived at the hospital. Catching back up with Sora as they unloaded him, Squall had just enough time to tell him not to worry before Sora was whisked away by some nurses. As they took Sora off to gods knew where, one of the nurses turned to him with an understanding smile, "Don't worry sir, we will alert you once all the procedures are over."

"How long will that be?"

"I can't say for certain, but we will do our best to hurry. Is there somewhere you need to be?"

"What? No, of course not. I need to be here."

"Why don't you visit our cafeteria or have a seat in our waiting room then? It might be good if you were able to sit for a while." Seeing Squall's confused face, the nurse clarified, "You look a little tired, if you don't mind me saying so. If you'll excuse me…"

Nodding as she slipped away, Squall stood where he was for a few more minutes. The truth was that he was tired, really tired but sleeping was definitely not an option. He couldn't believe that Sora was already back in the hospital.

Making his way down towards the more general area of the hospital, Squall almost missed the sound of someone calling his name, "--onhart!...Mr. Leonhart!"

Whipping around, Squall saw a man jogging towards him, after a few seconds recognizing him to be Sora's doctor. The man took a minute to catch his breathe as he caught up with Squall, adjusting his glasses on his nose as he straightened up, "Sorry, I didn't hear you calling."

"That's alright. You've undoubtedly had a long night. I just got here a moment ago, I assume they brought Sora in?"

"Yeah, they have him one of the back rooms."

"Good, I'll go check in and see how he's doing then."

Seeing that the doctor was about to leave, Squall stepped forward, wanting more answers, "Wait! Sora was fine when I left him last night! How did he get so sick?"

"He probably got the flu or some other illness, most likely from another child at his school." Squall nodded; Sora had mentioned that, "The problem is that Sora's immune system is practically nonexistent due to his lingering Lukemia and the medication…not to mention the extra medication we gave him when he came in a few days ago. Because of all that, he was able to get very sick very quickly. Usually the flu isn't too much to worry about with a boy Sora's age but if he didn't receive attention he very well might have died from it. As it is, I will probably advise that he stay here for at least four days, maybe five, so that we can keep him under observation."

Squall just nodded again, unable to respond any other way. Whatever was best for Sora. In the back of his mind though, he couldn't help to think about the bill he was going to get. His bank account was really low right now, practically empty since he had paid all of the bills for the month…Wait. Squall swallowed before reaching into his jacket pocket. His share of tonight's robbery was still in his pocket. He might just be able to afford this after all.

No longer afraid to do so, Squall walked down to the receptionist who seemed to recognize him from the other day. "Aren't you're that Leonhart boy's brother?"

"Yes ma'm. They just brought him back in for more treatment."

"Just a moment sir…" The woman typed something into her computer and after a moment turned back to him, "It looks like Dr. Jensen just filed the paperwork a second ago. Sora is scheduled to be kept here for four nights. Would you like to pay now or after Sora is released?"

"I'll pay now." He wanted to make sure that he had enough to cover this.

"Alright Mr. Leonhart…here is the bill." The receptionist printed off a receipt and as she handed it to him his eyes widened a little. Well, there went about half of his most recent paycheck… "Will you be paying with a check or with a credit card?"

"Um, cash actually." The woman blinked up at Squall as if he had spoken a different language and he realized just how weird that was. Who had that much cash on them? "I, just got paid when I got home and hadn't had time to go to the bank yet."

"Oh…" Still eyeing him suspiciously, she watched as Squall pulled a few large bills out of his pocket, keeping most of it hidden so that she didn't think that he was a drug dealer or something. "Well, thank you, sir."

"I'm going to go to the cafeteria," he _really_ needed a cup of coffee, "so is there a way you can let me know when I can see my brother?"

"Of course, we'll send someone to let you know."

"Thank you."

* * *

_Ring_

_Ring_

Jerking up into a sitting position, Cloud floundered for a moment before reaching blinding out towards the noise, his fingers finally finding his cell. Wiping his hand across his face, he glared down at the paperwork he had fallen asleep on top of and flipped his phone open, "Hello?"

"Cloud? What the hell is wrong with your voice?"

"Roxas…"

Sighing, Cloud leaned back against his couch as Roxas let out a scandalized huff, "Were you _sleeping_? Do you even know what time it is?"

Glancing over at his TV, Cloud frowned, "Eleven twenty-seven a.m.?"

"Well, why aren't you at the office?! Where's Axel?"

"We were out until three last night Rox, relax. I'm not surprised he hasn't shown up yet. What are you so excited about?"

"We just got a huge break in the case!"

"What?" Springing onto his feet, Cloud immediately began to gather his things, "What happened?"

"Another robbery was reported, same sort of M.O. But this time they messed up!"

"What did they do? Fingerprints? DNA?"

"No, they left the crime scene pristine. In fact, the owners of the home didn't even realize that they had been robbed until the husband went to withdraw some money from the safe."

Cloud frowned as he hopped a bit to try and pull a sock on, "Then what happened?"

"It turns out that all the money was traceable and someone already cashed some of it in!"

"That was quick."

"Apparently our perp used it to pay for something at a hospital in Traverse Town of all places. The hospital went to turn it into the bank where they noticed and sent a alert to us!"

"Do we still know the location of the suspect?"

"Yeah! We called the hospital and they said the guy was still there so we just sent a squad car to go pick him up! If everything goes right, they should be back in three hours with him, unless traffic is bad on the highway."

"Alright." Pulling his socks back off, Cloud held the phone up to his ear with his shoulder as unbuttoned his pants and began to shimmy them off, "Give half an hour to shower and grab something to eat and I'll get over to the station to prepare some questions. Do me a favor and call Axel's house for me, knowing him he won't have his cell phone on…I know I have his number somewhere around here…"

"Don't worry, I have it."

Walking into the bathroom in his undershirt and boxers, Cloud reached in and got the shower started so that it would at least be lukewarm by the time he jumped in, "Why do have his home phone?"

"I _do_ consider him a friend you know."

"Since when?"

"Hey, he's not _always_ a perverted ass."

"He's not?"

"Shut up and take your shower Cloud."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you at the office." Hearing a sharp "click" as Roxas hung up, Cloud smirked. He loved his little brother, really, but it was fun to harass him sometimes. However, he had to wonder how close Roxas and Axel had gotten while he wasn't paying attention. Oh well, he had bigger things to worry about. They had apparently located one of their suspects. Today was going to be a very good day.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is up! Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter; it was the most that I've ever received for any chapter of this story yet! They always encourage me to keep going, and I want to let you all know that I always really appreciate your feedback! You guys rock!! ^^

So thanks to Kichi Tsukima, Taryn Eithne, DeNiSaY60, Baciare, andhearts, RealityInABottle, b4k4 ch4n, CloudedMirror89, Sky Blossom, Emerald Moonrose, Shinimegami7, blackpantherwolf, HeartAngel, A-chan, Orchid Butterflies, Inedible Sushi, fenrir-ice-wolf, flammula, ramen-is-my-goddess, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, , Caithdean, Aindel S. Druida, Concise Complexity, Velvet Chaos, Bane-Dane, Yudis, and Shukakku the adorable raccoon! You guys are my heroes! ^^

O

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Chapter 5

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Sitting at a round plastic table in the hospital cafeteria, Squall crouched over a cup of cheap coffee. It was his third cup in four hours but the caffeine was doing its job. He no longer felt as if he was about to pass out from exhaustion, although he found it harder and harder to sit still and wait for someone to come get him.

Hearing the click of high heels against the tile floor, Squall glanced over his shoulder to spot the receptionist walking over to him. The woman looked nervous and her expression made Squall's heart tighten. Did she have news about Sora? Had something happened? "Mr. Leonhart?"

Pushing his chair out, Squall made to stand up, the quick action making the woman jump, "Is Sora alright?"

"What? Oh, yes, your brother. Sora is doing fine. You, should be able to see him soon."

Squall's eyes narrowed, finding her behavior to be odd to say the least. Maybe she was having a stressful day, although the hospital had seen quiet to him. "How much longer do you think I'll have to wait?"

"Per-perhaps another hour or so, maybe an hour and a half."

Letting out a sigh, Squall ran his fingers through his hair, "Well, maybe I'll go out for a few minutes…I have to get more laundry detergent from the store, and Sora needed a new binder for school—"

He was startled as the woman interrupted him, "No! I mean, it would be best if you remained here, in case something happens. But if there is anything I can get for you…?"

"Um, no, I'll just go out again later." Nodding in relief, the receptionist took a few steps back before turning around and practically running back to her desk. Squall followed her with his eyes, his brows lowering in suspicion as she got on the phone with a glance back to where he was sitting. Very odd. She had a point, he shouldn't be going out when Sora could have some sort of complication…But she had seemed nervous, not about Sora's situation, but about Squall. They had only met once before so she would have no reason to be frightened of him…unless…

But how would she have figured it out? It was true he had paid Sora's hospital bills in cash but that in itself wasn't anything to be freaked out about. They had left the crime scene perfectly clean last night, not that it really mattered since the police wouldn't have his fingerprints or DNA on file anyway. The only thing they had taken off site was the mon—Shit. Did they somehow figure out that the money had been stolen? Was that even possible?

Eyes shifting back to the room, Squall suddenly felt as if he were in a cage instead of a cafeteria. The room was filled with windows but none of them actually opened and there was only one exit. If he left, he would have to go right passed the receptionist. But would he actually leave even if he were able to? He had already let Sora down once already by not being there for him when he had gotten sick, he couldn't leave him alone right now.

Picking up his coffee mug, Squall casually stood up and walked over to the beverage counter and poured himself another cup. Using his peripheral vision, he watched as the receptionist stood up a bit to keep an eye on him and a grim smile spread across his lips. So there was something going on. And it didn't bode well for him.

Moving over to stand by one of the windows, he chose a view that allowed him to look down at the streets outside. He kept his exterior expression absolutely calm while inside his brain was struggling to come up with an articulated thought.

Squall took a sip of coffee, just to give his body something to do, as he stood watch from his sentry post at the window, his eyes expertly trained on the world outside while he focused his hearing on what was happening inside the hospital. He was still waiting for news about Sora after all, although he was beginning to suspect that he wasn't going to be given the chance to see his brother.

His suspicions grew deeper as the minutes continued to tick by and no one approached him about Sora's condition. Surely he would've been stabilized by now, even considering how sick he was. His worst fears were confirmed when he caught sight of a car driving up to the hospital. It was a patrol car running its lights.

Apparently the receptionist had noticed too before she rose to her feet and hurried toward the main entrance. Recognizing his chance as it presented itself, Squall wiped off his cup with his sleeve and threw it into the trash. Running towards the cafeteria exit, he peeled around the corner and saw the receptionist rushing down to meet two police officers who had just gotten out of the patrol car. Seeing the cops remove their guns from their holsters, Squall let out a curse and ran for the back of the hospital where the patients were houses. He just wanted to see Sora before he went.

Whipping around a corner just as he heard the main doors to the hospital open and the officers step inside the foyer, Squall kept running. Sora had been checked into the pediatrics ward, since he was technically still a kid, and all of the under-aged patients were kept in rooms off of three main hallways.

Checking the nametags on the doors as he ran by, Squall picked up the pace as he heard shouts echoing back from the lobby area. If the police thought that he would be easy to bring in, they were sadly mistaken. Catching himself as his boots skidded on the slick tiles, Squall rounded another corner, his eyes still watching as nametags flashed by; _Sora Leonhart_, _Sora Leonhart_, _Sora Leonhart, _where was he?

Hearing voices coming down from yet another corridor, Squall picked out his brother's from amidst the noise as the volume of the voices elevated into shouts. It sounded like Sora was arguing with some of the nurses, the teen's voice uncharacteristically sharp, "—t's going on? Why can't I see Squall?"

"I'm sorry Sora but he had to leave, he was called to work—"

"—You're lying! He has a night job!"

Refocusing his direction, Squall ran towards the sound, his eyes finally finding the name they were so desperately searching for: _Sora Leonhart_. The door was closed but he didn't even wait to see if it was locked, he didn't even slow down as he through his shoulder against it and slammed it open.

The nurse inside the room screamed in surprise and Sora sprang up in his hospital cot with wide eyes. Closing the door tightly behind him, Squall pushed his weight against it, scared that he would be caught before he could talk to his brother, "Sora, are you okay?"

"Squall! You're still here! They said you couldn't see me!" Sora was momentarily distracted as the nurse ran out of the room, "What's going on? Everyone started acting weird!"

"Are you okay?"

Squall heaved a breath as he finally calmed enough to get a good look at Sora. He was in a hospital gown and attached to an IV and a heart monitor but he was already looking better. The teen still looked clammy and flushed but the fact that he was able to sit up and speak in full sentences said a lot. "I, I'm fine, better anyway. Squall, what happened?"

"Sora," Taking another breath, Squall quickly walked over to Sora and grabbed his hand, "I need you to listen carefully to me." Sora nodded, his blue eyes confused but hardening a little at Squall's seriousness. "There's some things I haven't told you, about what I do, about what I've been doing."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I can't even begin to explain in time," hearing footsteps thundering down the hall towards them, Squall shook his head, barely able to think. How was he supposed to explain this to Sora? How could he explain to his little brother that he was about to be arrested? "Whatever happens, just, remember that I love you and that I would give my life to keep you safe."

"Squall, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Just, promise me."

"Okay, okay! I promise!" Tears started to prick at Sora's blue eyes, "Now tell me what's going on!"

"I—" Squall was interrupted as the door slammed open for the second time that day as an officer kicked the door in, both officers storming in with their guns drawn. Squall instantly threw himself in between the barrels of the cops' guns and Sora, his little brother's hand tightening on his own.

"Mr. Leonhart, you're under arrest! Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground!"

"Watch where you're waving those guns."

"Get down on the ground!"

Hearing Sora's heart monitor pick up behind him, Squall reluctantly let go of Sora and slowly raised his hands to put them behind his head, "Alright! I'll go quietly, so take it easy." To prove his point, Squall kneeled then lowered himself to the ground, his cheek pressing against the sanitized tile flooring. He could have easily escaped but not with Sora in the room. If he put up a struggle, Sora could get caught in the crossfire and that was not acceptable.

Seeing that he was indeed surrendering himself without a fight, the officers did relax just a little. Lowering their guns, one of the men crouched down beside Squall, the cop pressing his knee into Squall's back to make sure that he didn't try to escape as he snapped on a pair of handcuffs as the other man read him his rights. The only thing he caught was that they were from Twilight Town. The money must have been traceable then.

Squall's mind went blank after that until he felt a tug on his arms, "Come on, get up."

Obeying, Squall nearly jumped as Sora let out a shout, "Hey, wait a minute! Where are you taking him?"

The cops seemed surprised to, as if just noticing that the teen was in the room, the man that wasn't guiding Squall out of the room responding, "Twilight Town kid."

"What did he do?"

Squall looked away as the officer answered without missing a beat, "He's being brought in for questioning, under suspicion of money laundering, theft, and breaking and entering."

"Squall…"

Squall paused as he was being pushed out the door, "…Everything will be alright. Trust me."

"Okay." Squall had to look back at the firm response he received, "I trust you."

He couldn't help but smile. "Good."

Squall's smile flipped down into a frown as the cop holding him gave him a little shove to get him moving again. Squall allowed it, much more at peace with the situation now that he knew that his brother would be alright. He would have to get out of custody as soon as possible but Sora would be alright for a little while. Hopefully.

The police seemed surprised at how calm he was acting as they led him out of the hospital and into the back of their squad car but, for now, letting them take him in was the best option. He easily could have escaped, but what then? Become a wanted man and go on the run? No thank you. He wouldn't let himself do something like that to Sora who was still in high school and needed stability. Besides, if he went in, he would be able to find out just how much the Twilight Town police department knew about the robberies. Squall knew that he hadn't left any incriminating evidence at the crime scene, and neither had Riku, so they couldn't have much on them yet.

Remaining silent for the entire ride, Squall watched out the car window as the scenery flew passed as they drove toward the coast. After about an hour, he caught sight of the town's distinctive skyline, the clock tower stretching up from amongst the surrounding hills like some sort of lighthouse. It felt strange that this was how he was first going to see Twilight Town during the daytime hours. As they drove into town and made their way through the winding streets towards the city center, Squall watched the scenery. Twilight Town did look like a nice place, a good place to raise a family. No wonder all those rich people moved in.

The squad car stopped in front of an impressive looking stone building which Squall could only assume was the police station. His thoughts were confirmed when the officers got out of the car and went around to the back to collect their prisoner. Opening the door, one of the men reached in and grabbed onto Squall as if they thought he was going to try and escape, "Don't try anything funny, alright?"

Squall just gave the man a flat look and rose to his feet by his own power, not even struggling against the man's hold. If he had wanted to escape he would've done so when he was back in his hometown, not here where he knew absolutely no one. The cops seemed to be confused at the lack of a struggle but continued doing their job, walking Squall up the stone steps and into the government building.

The police station was humming with activity, men and woman working at their desks, typing, calling, searching through paperwork, hurrying across the room to speak with a colleague; Squall was impressed. They weren't wasting a single cent of the taxpayer's money.

There was a small burst of energy beside them and a boy hopped out from behind one of the desks and ran over. Squall had to blink twice as the blond reached them; he swore the kid had Sora's face. Not the coloring, and perhaps it was aged a little, but the two could have been brothers. Any sense of connection was broken as the boy, young man, stared up at him inquisitively, "Is that our guy?"

One of the officers behind Squall must have nodded, "That's right. He gave us a little run for our money at first but came pretty quietly all-in-all. He hasn't said a word since we put the cuffs on him though." Squall almost felt awkward as he was left out of the conversation. But really, he had nothing much to add at this point.

The boy frowned and stared at him for a moment longer with his blue eyes before nodding towards a hallway off to the side with his head, "Detective Strife's reserved Interrogation Room A. Go ahead and take him in when you're ready."

As if supervising, the blond waited nearby as the officers who had brought him in booked him. Squall wasn't familiar with the process but went along with everything easily as they took his fingerprints and searched him for any weapons, confiscating his wallet and keys in the process, promising that they would be returned to him upon his release. He hadn't been carrying his weapon thankfully but what they did find was the other half of the money he had gotten from the heist. Watching expressionless as they pulled out the small stack of cash from his jacket pocket and put it into a plastic evidence bag, Squall knew that he wasn't going to see that money again.

* * *

After watching the patrol officers begin to book the suspect, Roxas grabbed the envelope holding the man's keys and wallet and took off towards the door separating Cloud and Axel's office from the chaos of the main room. Yanking it open, Roxas poked his head inside to find his brother and Axel crowding over Cloud's desk as they tried to put together a good questions list. "Hey, they just brought our guy in and are booking him now! I told them to stick him in Interrogation A when they were done. I grabbed his ID too, thought you might want to do a search on him before you went in."

Cloud looked up, his neon blue eyes sparking like a wolf on a hunt, "Good job. Let me see it."

Roxas handed his brother the envelope then glanced over at Axel, a smile lighting up his face as he saw the redhead with a pair of reading glasses on his nose, a half-used cigarette in between his thin lips. "I didn't know you needed glasses Axel."

Axel faked a laugh and pulled the glasses off, "You try going through paperwork and reading files with ridiculously tiny print on the computer for ten hours straight, and tell me how your eyes are doing."

"I kind of like them, they make you look smart for once." Hearing the phone ringing at his desk, Roxas let out a breath of air, "I need to go back, keep me posted, okay?"

Cloud waved him off then opened the envelope and dumped its contents on top of a pile of paperwork scattered across his desk. "Let's see what we've got here…" Snatching the wallet up, Cloud quickly checked its contents, "No driver's license, but there's a motorcycle license…" He pulled the card out and blinked at the small picture, the young man in the photograph staring back at him with stormy grey eyes.

Axel noticed the short pause and looked over his partner's shoulder, "Hey, he's a cutie."

Looking at the dates on the card, Cloud smirked, "This photo was taken four years ago. I doubt he looks the same…According to this he's twenty-six years old now. That's still pretty young for someone to develop all of the skills needed to pull off these robberies."

"Try running his name through the system and see if anything comes up."

Cloud nodded and quickly typed the name in. The police department had criminals from every part of the country entered into the database, although government workers were in it as well, all the way down to the custodian who worked in City Hall. Cloud was even in it, as was Axel. He had looked up Axel just for the heck of it; the guy had a rap sheet as long as Cloud's resume. He wasn't quite sure how Axel had managed to get a job at the station, but he must've known someone…The only problem with the system was is that it took a long time for the search engine to come up with a match because it had so many names to look through.

Letting out a sigh, Cloud turned to Axel, "So, after this, I'll go do the interview if you can stay here and keep looking through these files."

Axel scowled, "How is that fair?"

"It's fair because I'm the senior detective and because this is a very important case and I don't want you blowing it."

"How could I possibly mess up? I mean, we probably won't be able to hold the guy for more than a few hours legally!"

"Unless we can get a confession. Besides, in our last case you practically assaulted the guy and he turned out to be innocent."

"That was a fluke. Besides, the guy was an ass, he deserved it."

"That's irrelevant and I want to do this one right. I'll call you in if I need any help."

"Fine, whatever." Tilting the computer screen so that he could see it from his desk chair, Axel moodily leaned over, his chin resting on his hand as he watched the computer to continue to search through multitudes of faces. "Roxy and me'll get some burgers for lunch or something…"

Cloud rolled his eyes as Axel continued to pout, re-reading over his interview questions. His tactic was going to be pretty straight forward since he didn't know too much about their suspect. The plan was to get the guy to talk and, hopefully, to reveal a connection to Zexion and Riku. They had been researching Zexion and Riku for a few days now and hadn't come up with much. The two had files but the police had no evidence directly linking them to anything; the only thing linking Zexion and Riku to crimes were rumors from other criminals.

A "ping" came from the computer and Cloud was about to look over when Axel's head snapped up, his cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth as his jaw dropped, "Oh shit man."

"What?" Grabbing the screen, Cloud turned it back to face him and froze. Instead of the criminal rap sheet he had been expecting, something else entirely had popped up. It was a page from a section of the program that he had never seen before, the Federal Government's SeeD program. And right below the heading was a picture of Squall Leonhart, "He's a SeeD?"

Axel's brows shot up and he ground out his cigarette in the ash tray. "Well this just got really interesting."

Scrolling down the man's SeeD page, Cloud looked for any indication of who this man was and why he was now involved in crime. "Ah, look here…" Tapping on the screen, Cloud turned the screen again so that Axel could see the text written there, "Apparently he went AWOL, absent without leave, about a month ago. It says here he still has five months until his two-year contract is up but he left his unit and no one has heard from him since."

"Looks like we found him. What do we do?"

"Contact the higher ups, they should be able to figure out." Cloud glanced over at Axel, "Looks like you found something interesting to do while I'm busy."

"Yeah. Huh…" Axel stared at the page for a few moments longer before shaking his head, "Hey, seriously, you're going to have one heck of a time getting anything out of him if he's really a SeeD. Be careful too; he could probably kill you with a pencil shaving."

"I can handle myself."

"Have you ever met a SeeD before?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Have you?"

"Yeah, I don't really want to talk about it but basically they can kick some serious ass. They're the elite of the military, they've been bred to kill. I mean it, don't give this guy a chance to pull anything."

"You actually seem concerned."

"Yeah, 'cause I actually am concerned."

Cloud glanced at his partner to find Axel's green eyes completely serious which was really unusual. Nevertheless, he had a job to do and he wasn't going to be scared off by a title. Eyeing the perp's picture again, Cloud scanned his face. It was serious but he looked intelligent enough; maybe he could bargain with him. "Don't worry about me and worry about contacting the Chief instead. Ask what he wants us to do with the guy."

"Fine. Get outta here."

Grabbing his questions sheet, a tape recorder, a notebook, and a pen, Cloud stood up, "If you do end up going out for lunch, grab me something will you?"

"What do you want?"

"I don't know, have Roxas figure it out."

Walking out of the room, he made his way through the main offices, waving a bit to Roxas as he passed by his brother's desk. He saw the officers who had been sent to pick up the suspect and nodded to them, "Jefferson, Hernandez, how did it go?"

"Just fine. We put him in room A and cuffed one wrist to the table. He's being pretty relaxed about the whole thing so hopefully he won't be too much of a handful."

"Good. You guys on break?"

Hernandez shook his head, "No, we're off for today. Our shift ended half an hour ago."

"Thanks for working overtime then. See you guys tomorrow."

Continuing on, Cloud walked down the hall towards where the Interrogation rooms were and found room A without even having to look up, knocking only once before stepping into the room. The room itself was sparse, furnished only with a table and four chairs, one of them currently occupied.

Cloud blinked as he caught sight of his possible perp for the first time. He didn't look much like either his license or his SeeD photo anymore. His hair was longer, and there was a large scar crossing over his face. It must've been a nasty wound when it was fresh. He had also gotten stronger, apparently having put on at least ten extra pounds of muscle since the pictures were taken.

Not deterred, Cloud took a seat across from the man, his eyes quickly checking to make sure that he was still cuffed to one of the table legs. "Mr. Squall Leonhart? I assume you know why you're here?"

He looked up to find the man, Squall, meeting his eyes evenly. Just like the picture, his eyes were an entrancing gray but they had hardened into a cold steel. "I have an idea."

Tearing his gaze away, Cloud placed the tape recorder on the tabletop, "Well then, let's just get right to it. For your information, this conversation will be recorded. You have a right to an attorney at any time and if you cannot afford one the city will assign you an attorney. Would you like us to do so?"

The man across from him leaned back in his chair and shook his head, "I don't need one. Get to your questions."

"For the record, you are Squall Leonhart, correct?"

"That's right. And who would you be?"

"I'm Detective Cloud Strife of the Twilight Town Police Department and I have been assigned to your case. You seem like an intelligent man, so I'll cut right to the chase. You have been brought in for questioning for laundering money that was stolen last night from a residence here in Twilight Town. Were you aware that the money you were using was stolen?"

Leonhart didn't say anything, just stared at him with a blank expression. Frowning, Cloud pressed on undeterred, "One could take your silence as an admission of guilt."

"It's my right to remain silent if I want. I haven't admitted to anything."

"Why were you carrying such large sums of money on your person, all of which was stolen from said residence last night?" Again he was met with silence and Cloud moved on to the next question, skipping down to the bigger questions, "Were you involved in the robbery last night during which the money you had on your person was stolen?"

Leonhart barely even blinked and Cloud slammed his notebook onto the tabletop, "Mr. Leonhart, I am warning you that it would be in your best interest to talk. You seem like a smart guy, so allow me to explain something to you. If you were involved in the robberies, if you give us the names of the people you're working with you could get a much lighter sentence. Cut a deal with us and you could get away with probation instead of having to go to jail.

"Thanks for the warning."

"Listen, Squall, we looked you up. We know you were SeeD, so I get that you're protecting your comrades, but you're working with criminals now. If you have any sense of justice, tell us who you're working with."

Leonhart looked thoughtful for a moment before he sat up, the arm that wasn't cuffed to the table leg resting on the table as he leaned forward, "Detective Strife, was it? You were right about one thing. I am smart, smart enough to figure out that if you had anything on me, or any activities I may or may not be involving myself in, you wouldn't be asking me these questions. All you have on me is the money."

"So you admit to knowing that you were carrying stolen money?"

"I'll admit that you just told me so."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, "Don't play games with me. You knew that money was stolen, you just didn't know that it was traceable!"

"If you know so much then why am I even here?"

Cloud crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. This was the most frustrating man he had ever dealt with. Sure, he'd had suspects who wouldn't talk before but he'd never dealt with any who were so absolutely unemotional throughout the ordeal. Leonhart was the absolute picture of security; he didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that he was cuffed to a table. When suspects showed emotion, they allowed for interrogators to dig into a soft point to try and get their perp to snap and start talking but Leonhart hadn't given him a single hint of discomfort. "I don't get it…you're young, skilled, smart, good-looking, why would you lower yourself so far as theft and breaking and entering?"

Finally; an emotional response. Leonhart blinked then leaned back as well, his gaze falling to the side for the first time. Cloud gave him a few minutes to respond, his patience returning as he realized he was finally getting some where. When he finally answered, the soldier's voice was gruff, "If you found out I was with SeeD then you probably know I deserted." Cloud gave a quick nod as he slowly picked up his notebook and pen, his motions freezing as Leonhart looked back up at him, "Detective Strife, did you go to college?"

"Of course."

Cloud was almost startled as Leonhart scoffed, an annoyed expression passing over the stoic man's face, disappearing nearly as quickly as it had come. "Do you know how hard it is for someone who deserted, with no higher education, in a failing economy like Traverse Town's, to find a job?"

Cloud rolled his eyes, "You can't tell me that's your excuse. Unemployment? SeeD said you've been missing for a little less than a month. You can't want me to feel sorry for you if you're able to burn through money that fast—"

Leonhart interrupted him, early signs of a scowl flickering through his eyes, "Do you know how much one night in the hospital costs?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know how much a doctor's visit costs? Or medication?"

Cloud frowned, suspecting where this was going. It hadn't been what he was expecting, "I couldn't say that I do."

"It costs a lot. Do you know how much money a high school graduate, military dropout can make, working fifty hours a week doing the roughest manual labor available? Not enough. And jobs like that aren't even available in Traverse Town. If someone in that position were to be offered a large sum of money, they'd be a fool not to take it."

It sounded like Leonhart had a dependant that he was caring for, with all the talk of hospitals they were probably pretty sick too. Come to think of it, Leonhart had been picked up for spending the stolen money at a hospital. They obviously had some major background checking to do after this interview as over. "So you're saying that someone offered you some money?"

Leonhart settled back into silence and Cloud sighed. He had thought that they were getting somewhere. "So…why did you abandon SeeD?"

"Because I had to."

"Was there some moral conflict or emergency back home?"

"There was no moral conflict."

So maybe there had been some sort of emergency, perhaps even concerning the sick dependant he had in Traverse Town. Tapping his pen against the pad of paper he was holding in his lap, Cloud finally let out another sigh. It was clear he wasn't going to get any information about the case from Leonhart. Being SeeD, it was doubtful that he would let his guard down enough to let a detail slip like most of the suspects they brought in. Legally, they couldn't hold him after they had finished the interrogation without any supporting evidence or a warrant for his arrest. They would have to let him go, even though he knew the man sitting across from him was guilty. The adrenaline he had been feeling all morning drained away and he reached up and turned off the tape recorder, A small smirk spreading across his lips as he shook his head, "You know, my partner warned me about you, being a SeeD and all, but you were probably one of the calmest, docile men that I've ever interviewed…"

The comment brought a frown to Leonhart's lips, "I don't see any benefit in escaping right now."

"So you think you could?"

"Easily."

"Oh yeah?" Never one to back down from a challenge, and not liking the condescending glance Leonhart had thrown his way, Cloud stood up. Grabbing a slim key from his pocket, Cloud bent down and unlocked the handcuff keeping Leonhart attached to the table. The interview was over anyway, so it's not like they had a right to hold him any longer. "Let's see if you can get past me, just for kicks."

Leonhart eyed him dubiously, like he thought he was being led into a trap, "You won't charge me for assault or anything?"

"This is just between us." Cloud wanted to prove to himself, and Axel, that he could handle himself. Hopefully he would able to show Leonhart that he wasn't all talk as well. He had years of martial arts training under his belt and kept himself fit, and was certainly no pushover. "I want to see what I'm dealing with."

"And what do you want me to do?"

"Go ahead and try to subdue me."

"Alright."

Cloud's only warning was the chair flying back as Leonhart sprang to his feet, the man whipping him around, knocking his feet out from underneath him, and slamming his chest down against the table with his arms locked behind his back before Cloud even had time to breath. Wide eyed, Cloud gasped for air as he was pressed against the wooden tabletop, Leonhart pinning him there with the weight of his body, the other's breath tickling the back of his neck as he spoke, "Got you."

"H-how…?"

"You learn a few things in the field." Leonhart relaxed his grip and released Cloud, the blond bracing himself against the table as he regained his balance, scowling as the ex-SeeD spoke up again, "You didn't do to badly though. I saw you react as soon as I did. You just weren't quick enough."

Brushing the other man off, Cloud stumbled back to his feet, shaken but determined not to show it. The man was fast enough, and strong enough, that he could have easily broken out of custody at any time. He had wanted to be brought it, or at least had not been taken completely against his will. Cloud had never had a suspect like that either. "The interview is over."

"You're not going to keep me here?"

"No, not today. You can return to Traverse Town, but don't leave town. If you try to run, you'll just make life harder for yourself."

Cloud detected the hint of a smirk on Leonhart's face before the man turned to the door, but it was hard to tell. The man's poker face was just constructed too well, "I don't plan on running."

Leonharts's hand was practically on the doorknob when the Interrogation Room door whipped open and Axel barged into the small room. Leonhart stumbled back in surprise as the redhead quickly took in the situation, "Cloud, get him back in cuffs!"

With a sharp shake of his head, Cloud frowned at Axel's entrance, "This interview's over. We have no cause to hold him—"

"--Yeah we do." Interrupting his partner, Axel didn't wait for Cloud to act and stepped forward to slap a second pair of cuffs around Leonhart's wrists much to their suspect's annoyance. "Just got word back from the boss; he says we need to keep Mr. Leonhart here until he gets in contact with his SeeD unit commander. Apparently desertion is a federal offense. Who knew?"

From the lack of surprise on Leonhart's face it was clear that the soldier knew. Letting out a breath at the sudden turn of events, Cloud nodded, "Alright. Looks like you'll be staying with us a little longer Leonhart. Go ahead and put him into the holding cell for now. From what I can tell he isn't going to cause any unnecessary trouble."

Cloud met Leonhart's eyes and the man gave a short nod. Although he clearly wasn't happy with the situation, he allowed Axel to lead him away, back towards the main office. The holding cell was just at the beginning of the hall, a small room with a cot, a sink, and a toilet for the police to temporarily hold prisoners in while they waited for more information, etc. The room was completely enclosed save for a small window in the door at eye level that allowed the police to check in on their suspects without needing to open the door. Since it the room was currently unoccupied, it seemed like a waste of time to have to drive Leonhart all the way to the actual jail just to have to bring him back if the man was released.

Cloud went back to the office where Axel met up with him a few minutes later, the redheaded detective closing the door behind him as he stepped inside. "That was quick. Roxy and I didn't even have time to run to the store for something to eat."

"He didn't have too much to say."

"Not a big talker, huh? Did you get anything?"

"Nothing related to the case, except maybe a motive."

"What's up?"

"It sounded like he came back to take care of someone who's sick. He didn't give me a lot to work with, but we definitely need to check him out some more to see if we can connect him to something bigger."

"So you definitely think he's involved then?"

"Yeah, I'm positive he has something to do with it, probably the third man mentioned in the report from that first robbery."

"Let me guess, we can't prove it though."

"Right."

Axel sighed, "Perfect…"

Cloud sat back down at his desk, "He had the money but it would be too easy for him to explain it away. The money could've already been circulated back into the public or someone could have randomly just handed him a wad of cash on the streets when they realized it was traceable."

"Right, 'cause _that_ makes sense."

"It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not; it's 'innocent until proven guilty', and you know how hard it is for us to get a warrant from the D.A. If there's obvious way he could escape conviction, we won't get that warrant."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Axel eyed Cloud as the blond got straight back to work on his computer. "You know, I thought you'd be more excited that we were able to keep the guy for a little longer, considering how psyched up you were this morning about calling me in here after I'd only had four hours of sleep."

Cloud leaned his head against his hand, falling silent for a few seconds, "…He wasn't the usual type of guy we bring in."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually they're stupid, or angry, or just plain crazy, but he was…I dunno, he seemed like he's supposed to be on our team."

Axel stared at Cloud before a smug smile broke across his face, "Cloud, are you connecting with our perp on an emotional level? Cold-hearted you?"

"I don't think so."

"Good, because it will only get messy if you do, since we're the ones who're going to have to put him behind bars."

"I know."

Throwing himself back into his work, trying to regain the zealous fervor that had seemed to overtake him earlier, Cloud was barely aware of the passing of time until his stomach began to complain. Pushing his chair back, Cloud scratched the back of his head, "Hey Ax, I'm going to go get something to eat. Do you want to come?"

Having put his reading glasses on to go through more paperwork, Axel blinked up at him through the frames, "I'm like right in the middle of this article. Just pick up something for me."

"What can I get you?"

"I dunno, something edible, whatever. I'm not picky. And get me like a soda or something too, or a energy drink. Something with more caffeine and sugar than liquid."

"Sure."

Stepping out of the room, Cloud waved Roxas over and the two brothers quickly left the building to go to a small convenience store a few buildings down.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, Roxas glanced up at the cloud-spotted sky, "Today would be a great day for skateboarding, the weather's perfect. Maybe I can call Hayner up and we can go out tomorrow."

"You have tomorrow off?"

"Yeah, and you know I'm sleeping in 'til noon. This week has been crazy."

"Tell me about it."

Grabbing a few sandwiches and drinks, Cloud was about to pay for their food before realizing that Leonhart probably hadn't eaten anything since this morning. Grabbing an extra sandwich and soda, Cloud paid for the lot and hustled Roxas back out the door. Complaining about the short length of their "break" Roxas's mood lifted only a little as Cloud shoved two sandwiches and drinks into his hands and told him to share with Axel, "Why, what are you going to do?"

"I've got a suspect in the holding cell I need to feed."

"It's like you're talking about a dog."

"It'd be bad press if we let someone pass out from hunger or dehydration inside the station."

"I guess." Roxas shrugged as they walked back into the police department, the smaller blonde's mood souring as he stepped back into the main office, "I'm really looking forward to having tomorrow off…"

"Stop bragging. And before you give Axel his food, get his money for the food first."

"Stingy much?"

"No, smart. You need the food as a bargaining chip; afterwards he'll just brush you off and say he'll pay you later."

Roxas smirked and split off from his brother to go back towards the detectives' offices while Cloud continued down towards the holding cell. When he got there he wasn't too surprised to find Leonhart sitting quietly on the cot, staring blankly at the wall across from him with his brooding gray eyes. Cloud was pretty sure that the man's arms would be crossed over his chest if they hadn't been cuffed together.

Knocking on the door as a warning, Cloud pushed it open and stepped inside. If Leonhart was surprised to see him, the man didn't show it. Cloud tossed him one of the sandwiches he was holding and Leonhart caught it easily, raising a brow questioningly at the plastic wrapped sub, "What is this?"

"Lunch." Walking over, Cloud set a bottle of water on the ground next to the cot, "I didn't know what you liked so I just ordered a double of mine."

"It looks fine…" His voice trailed off before he tilted his head to look up at Cloud, "How long can they keep me here?"

Cloud blinked then leaned up against the wall, "Legally we can keep you here until we get in contact with the commander of your SeeD unit."

Leonhart let out a sigh, bringing his hands up to massage his forehead, "A while then…"

Seeing the man's mind beginning to drift, Cloud frowned thoughtfully, "We usually don't keep suspects here in the station for more than twenty-four hours but, if you behave yourself you might be able to stay in here instead of getting shipped over to the penitentiary. It might be a good time to contact a lawyer too—"

"—I don't need a lawyer." Cloud finally saw an emotion, a hint of frustration, flicker onto Leonhart's face. Reigning himself back in, the man let out another short sigh, "I'm not interested in causing trouble for the moment either."

Cloud gazed at him for a moment before shaking his head, "I've never seen a prisoner be so calm in a situation like this."

A grim smile played across Leonhart's lips at the remark and he looked back up, "I'd like to think I'm a little different from the guys you usually keep in here."

Cloud didn't say anything; Leonhart was definitely out of the ordinary. Just the way he carried himself was enough to place him miles above the usual low-life that they shoved into the holding cell. He was a different species of criminal all together. But Cloud had known that he would be, knew everyone involved in this case would be, from the second he had flipped open the file about the first robbery. It had been the challenge that he had been waiting for ever since he had moved to the quiet Twilight Town. It was probably going to be one of the most important cases of his career.

As the silence between them began to stretch, Cloud excused himself, leaving Leonhart alone to eat. Locking the door to the holding cell behind him, Cloud made his way back to his office where he found Axel and Roxas nearly finished with their sandwiches. Looking up from his lunch, Axel leaned his chin on his hand, "So, how's our criminal doing?"

"He seems strangely alright with the situation."

Roxas frowned, "Weird." Grabbing his soda, he took a large gulp, "Does that mean he's innocent? A guilty guy would probably be freaking out right now because he'd been caught, right?"

Cloud shook his head as he sat down at his desk and unwrapped his sandwich, "I don't think so…I think he's ready for whatever happens next."

Stealing a bit of Roxas's soda while the blond was distracted, Axel glanced over at Cloud, "And what's going to happen next?"

"I don't know."


	6. Chapter 6

Whoo, Chapter 6! Once again, this chapter's a long one but I felt it was necessary since I'm not sure that I'll be able to get my next update up as promptly as I have been lately. School's starting again you see (the late start is due to the fact that I attend a school on the quarter system) and I'm not sure how fast I'll be able to work. You can count on the fact that I'll do my best though, and I'll try to get the next chapter out within a week! Your reviews are my strongest encouragement, so much thanks to The Hollow Fairy Wolf, DeNiSaY60, RealityInABottle, Taryn Eithne, Shinimegami7, ooXloveXoo582, Vedensolina, flammula, MoonlightWandering, oreo, Caithdean, LoneBoy7, Aindel S. Druida, Metamorcy, Bane-Dane, Inedible Sushi, A-chan, TOC, CloudedMirror89, ramen-is-my-goddess, Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel, Sorceress Fantasia, Stellar Eclipse, Velvet Chaos, , Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Arid Tundra, Starfox, and b4k4 ch4n for reviewing the last chapter! ^^

O

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

After finishing lunch, Cloud and Axel got to work searching government files and the internet for anything concerning Squall Leonhart. Who his family was, where he lived, where he had worked, where he had gone to school, everything, trying to find any sort of connection to "Zexion" and "Riku". The search was less than fruitful and as the hours ticked by, both of the detectives' frustrations were mounting.

Throwing himself back into his chair, Axel let out a groan, running his fingers through his hair and pulling out the tie that kept the red strands under control, "This is just stupid! Nothing shows that he is anything but a normal guy! Except joining SeeD, he's done nothing weird or illegal. Not even traffic tickets!"

Cloud gave a grunt in response, not caring enough to muster up the energy for a proper reply. Axel was right; it seemed that throughout his life Leonhart had kept a pretty low profile.

"Another night spent working overtime for nothing…"

Glancing over at the clock at the redhead's complaint, Cloud felt his eyes widen a little. It was almost 10pm. Shit, Roxas was going to bite his head off.

As if on cue, the door to their office was slammed open, Cloud taking a moment to wonder how the thing managed to stay on its hinges before Roxas ran in. "Hey Rox, sorry, I lost track of time. We can get going as soon as I finish this up—"

"As much as I wish I could be yelling at you to take me home, you can't go home yet. Your suspect just asked for a phone call."

Cloud blinked at his brother, "What?"

"He wants to make a phone call. That's all I know; I was told to come get you."

Looking at the clock again, Cloud tilted his head, "Why does he want to make a call now instead of when he came in?"

"Maybe he's lonely and wants to call up a friend."

Ignoring Axel's flippant comment, Cloud pushed himself to his feet, "I guess we can let him use the phone in here. Axel, while I go get him, set the phone up so that we can trace the call, and hook up a recorder to it so that we can tape the conversation."

"Aye aye, captain."

Jogging out of the room, Cloud walked the familiar route back over to the holding cell, not even bothering to knock this time before entering. Leonhart was waiting for him, watching Cloud carefully as the blond detective stepped into the cell. Glancing over at the thief, Cloud crossed his arms, "So, you want to make a call?"

"That's right."

"Why now? Why not when you first got here?"

The man shrugged nonchalantly, "Doesn't matter. I know my rights; I get one phone call."

"So you saved it for ten o'clock at night?"

"Yes."

Seeing that the brunette wasn't going to offer up any more explanations, Cloud grabbed the man's arm, "Fine. I'm taking you back to my office to use the phone there. Don't cause any trouble on the way there or you'll be making your call from prison, understand?"

Leonhart nodded and calmly allowed himself to be led out of the room, not even glancing around as they worked their way back towards Cloud's office. Most of the desks in the main room were empty, except for a few staff members that had come in for the night shift. As they walked in, it was clear that Axel had just finished setting everything up, the redhead moving over to sit at his own desk as Cloud guided Leonhart inside and sat him down at his own desk. "Alright, there's the phone." Looking around the room, Cloud realized that they were one head short and turned to Axel, "Where's Roxas?"

"His own phone rang and he decided to answer it. I told him not to since he was technically after hours but he has a conscience or something."

Leonhart stared at the Axel for a moment before looking up at Cloud, "I'm assuming the two of you are going to stay here?" Cloud nodded and Leonhart picked up the phone, examining it for a moment, "And I'm also assuming that this phone is tapped. Right?" Cloud didn't respond but his silence must have been enough of an answer for Leonhart because he gave a small huff, beginning to dial anyway. "Whatever…"

Axel and Cloud exchanged a look before Cloud walked over to the redhead's desk, the two no longer bothering to hide it as they each slipped on a wireless earpiece which allowed them to listen to the conversation happening over the phone. Leonhart looked a little disgruntled but said nothing, the three waiting in silence as he finished dialing.

A phone began to ring, and rang, and rang, and just as Cloud thought it was going to go to some voicemail, there was a soft click and a smooth voice answered, "Hello?"

Cloud's eyes darted over to where Axel was sitting, making sure that his partner was listening. Cloud had thought that Leonhart would try to contact his dependant but whoever was speaking didn't sound sick at all. As Cloud's focus flickered back to Leonhart he found the man's gray eyes staring right back at him, showing that he had no intention about giving anything of importance away on the phone, his voice almost relaxed as he spoke, "It's Squall."

"How did you get this number?"

"You've called me before, my phone saves the numbers of incoming calls."

"Ah, what can I do for you?"

Not breaking his stare with Cloud, Leonhart answered back, "I'm at the Twilight Town Police Department."

"Really?" The voice didn't sound too surprised, curious at the most.

"It seems like I was using money that had been traced to a robbery. They're keeping me here for desertion charges from the Federal government."

"I see. Interesting…"

"Is he there?"

The voice on the other end went quiet for a moment, perhaps trying to interpret Leonhart's meaning before answering back, as smoothly as before, "…Yes, he is here. Should I put him on?"

"Please."

"One moment."

There was a small bump as the man on the other end set his phone down followed by muffled voices before another man came on, "Le—Ow!" Cloud saw Leonhart crack a smile as the new voice complained at the first, "What the hell was that for? What? What do you want?...What? Fine…" The voice gave an exasperated sigh before he spoke again, "What do you want _Squall_?"

Leonhart's smile fell away and he lowered his voice, "It might be a while before I get out of here so I have a…favor to ask. You know I really, _really_ hate to ask you to do this but I need someone to check up on Sora for me."

"And so you want me to do it?"

The other man's amused tone seemed to annoy Leonhart further, "You're the only person I can ask. I don't know anyone else in Traverse, I've been away for two years."

"Well, I know you must be desperate so I guess I can check in."

"Alright, he's in the hospital."

"What's wrong with him?"

Leonhart's eyes narrowed, "He's sick. Look, you don't have to stay long, just make sure he's doing alright. He saw me being arrested so try to calm him down."

"You know you'll owe me one."

"Fine, whatever. Will you do it?"

"Sure." There was a short pause before the voice picked back up, "Well, I have to go now. See you whenever."

Cloud blinked as the line disconnected; the other man must've hung up. He heard a soft bang behind him and turned, realizing that Axel had slammed his fist down onto the table, a scowl on his face. Damn, that probably meant that the call hadn't been long enough for them to trace it. Cloud had a suspicion that the people on the other side of the conversation where somehow involved in all of this. They certainly didn't sound too surprised to hear that Leonhart had been taken downtown.

Hanging up the phone, Leonhart turned back to look at them, his face shifting back into its neutral expression, "So, did you get anything?"

Cloud pulled his earpiece out, "That's confidential."

"So not too much then…Good."

Clearing his throat from his seat, Axel clapped his hands together, "Well, now that the excitement is over, guess who gets to go back to holding so that some of us can go home?"

Leonhart glanced up at Cloud as if asking if his partner was serious and Cloud just shrugged in return. This was why he didn't let Axel handle interrogations, the guy lacked people skills. Not that he really had any right to talk.

Leonhart rose to his feet with a sigh and Cloud grabbed his arm to lead him back to his cell. As they walked up to the door, Cloud swung the door open and motioned for Leonhart to go inside, "I'll have one of the boys scrounge up a blanket and a pillow for you. If you're still here tomorrow, I can see about having someone bring in a futon or something to make that cot a little more comfortable."

"I've slept on worse."

Resting his hand on his hip, Cloud watched as the brunette took a seat on the bunk. "So, are you going to tell me what that phone call was about?"

"What do you think?"

"Who did you call?"

"Why do you even bother to ask?"

Deciding to go for broke, Cloud eyed Leonhart, watching the man's expressions carefully as he carefully voiced his question, speaking slowly so that Leonhart couldn't mistake his words, "Do the names Zexion or Riku mean anything to you?"

Leonhart didn't even blink. "No."

Cloud frowned. He had been expecting that but it was still disappointing. By now it was clear that the SeeD wasn't going to give up any information. He was tired and he had to imagine that Leonhart was tiring as well despite his unchanging façade. "Well, if you need anything, just knock on the door, it'll be locked from the outside. There should always be at least five employees in the main office, no matter what time it is."

"So you're going home then too?"

"We'll see."

Cloud would've said "good night" but it seemed like it would've been teasing the man. Instead, he just nodded and stepped out of the room, closing the cell door behind him.

Roxas met him on his way back into the main offices, the blond rubbing his eyes sleepily, "Hey Cloud, can we get outta here now? It's getting close to eleven."

"I'm not sure if I'm going back just yet…"

"Seriously?" Roxas followed his older brother back into his office where Axel was packing up his things. "Just because you got here at noon doesn't mean that all of us did. I've been here since seven in the morning!"

"Hey Axel, what do you say to taking Roxas home tonight?"

Roxas spluttered as Axel immediately paused in his work, "Pardon? I think my hearing's going…Did you just ask me if I wanted to take Roxy home?"

"I meant _drive him home_."

"Still, what happened to psycho big brother?"

"I'm staying here for a few more hours and I figured since you were leaving you could give Roxas a ride back."

Axel's green eyes narrowed suspiciously, "I feel like I'm walking into a trap…"

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Sitting down at his desk, Cloud glanced up at the redhead, "If I find out that you did anything inappropriate with my brother, I will make your life hell."

Roxas grinned and broke Axel out of his thoughts by grabbing the detective's wrist, "Come on! Don't ask anymore questions or he'll make us both stay!"

"Alright, alright Roxy! Don't pull my arm out of its socket…" Pumping his fist up into the air in victory, Roxas ran off to grab his stuff. Watching him leave, Axel shook his head before looking back at Cloud, "So how late are you staying?"

"I don't know yet, depends what I get into."

"Well, don't stay too late or you'll make me look bad."

"Right. You know, if you want to stay, I can find something for you to do—"

"No way!" Grinning, Axel pulled on his jacket and grabbed his briefcase, throwing it over his shoulder as he gave a cheerful wave, "Call me if anything comes up! Otherwise, see you in the morning!"

Cloud smirked as the man hurried out before turning back to his work. He usually wouldn't let Axel take Rox home like that but it was getting late and the kid had put in a full day's work. Besides, he would rather Axel drive Roxas home than have Roxas walk back.

After Axel and Roxas left, the building fell quiet and, having made sure that someone had brought Leonhart a pillow and blanket, Cloud had let his focus drift back to the case. He and Axel had done a pretty good job gathering material from the police database but they still had to go through it all. Which, from the look of the three files stacked on his desk stuffed with articles, was going to take a while. Grabbing a highlighter, Cloud relaxed a bit, resting his feet up on top of the desk as he flipped the first file open. Maybe the clue they had been looking for was on one of these pages…

It was hard to tell how much time passed before Cloud was startled by the shrill ring of his office phone, the folder he was holding nearly flying from his hands as he jumped. Kicking his feet off the desk, he fumbled for the phone, glancing at the clock on the wall as he grabbed it. 12:37am? Who would be calling at this hour? "Hello?"

He straightened up as he recognized the voice on the other side of the phone. It was his supervisor. "Detective Strife?"

"Yes sir. What can I do for you?"

"I thought I might find you at the office still. About that guy Detective Flynn called about earlier today, is he still being held at the main office?"

So Axel _had_ actually worked today; that was good news. "Yes, we have him down in holding for the night."

"Good. We just got a call in from the man's SeeD commander and he wants to speak to your suspect."

"Did he tell you what's going on?"

"He says he won't say anything until he gets to speak with your suspect."

Cloud let out a breath of air. Why were SeeD so hard to work with? "Alright. Do you know when we'll be able to be in contact with him again so I can set something up?"

"I actually have him on hold right now and he wants me to put him through immediately. That's why I'm bothering you so late."

"Right now?! Um, you'll have to give me a minute to wake Leonhart up and get him out of holding…Can you buy me a moment to set up something to record the call?"

"Sorry Strife, we don't have the jurisdiction to record their conversation."

Grimacing, Cloud rubbed his forehead. He hated when things fell out of his jurisdiction. "Fine. Give me a minute to get him in here…"

Setting the phone down, Cloud pushed himself up, a sour look on his face as he pushed open the door to his office and trudged back towards the holding cell. It felt like he had walked that route one time too many within the past 24 hours.

When he got to the holding cell, he was surprised to see that Leonhart was still just sitting on the cot, the fact that he was leaning against the wall the only indication that he had relaxed at all. Knocking once, Cloud opened the cell, "Leonhart? You've got a phone call."

Leonhart looked as surprised as he felt, "Is that allowed?"

"In this case, we can't say anything about it. It's your SeeD commander." Cloud blinked as a bit of the color seemed to fade away from Leonhart's face, the closest thing to fear that Cloud had seen all day passing through his grey eyes. "Scared?"

"No." As if to prove himself, Leonhart stood up and walked passed Cloud, the blond following the soldier back to his office. The man seemed calm but Cloud noticed that the color still hadn't returned to his face. He was also holding himself very straight, as if his commander would be able to see him through the phone line.

Sitting Leonhart down at his desk, Cloud picked up the phone, glad when he didn't hear a dial tone, "Sir?"

"I'm still here. Do you have our man?"

"He's sitting right here." Cloud's eyes lifted to find that Leonhart was watching him intently. "Should I put him on?"

"Sure, go ahead."

* * *

Squall blinked as Detective Strife leaned over the desk to pass the phone to him. He had been unable to get any sleep despite how tired he was because of all the thoughts going through his mind. Sora, being arrested, Detective Strife, and facing one of his comrades after deserting them…that, perhaps, was bothering him the most. He had tried desperately to put all thoughts of SeeD behind him and hadn't expected to have to face it so soon. When Detective Strife had asked if he was scared, he had answered truthfully. He wasn't scared per say, but his soldier's training had been embedded too far into his subconscious and the thought of being reprimanded by a superior officer still made him more than a little apprehensive.

Reaching out with both hands, due to the fact that they were still cuffed together, Squall held the phone to his ear, locking eyes with Detective Strife. "Hello?" Looking into the other man's unearthly blue eyes, Squall used the emotions flickering through them to calm himself down. He knew that the detective wasn't any ally of his but just having another human being nearby allowed him to maintain some composure. "This is Squall Leonhart speaking."

A gruff voice answered back, "Just a moment and I'll put you through. I'm legally obliged to inform you that during any point in your conversation you have the right to tell Detective Strife to leave the room." Squall couldn't help but smile a bit; the man clearly wasn't happy about that. "Afterwards, tell your commander that I need a word."

"Yes sir…"

"Alright, I'm transferring the call. Stay on the line…"

Squall fell silent as the line seemed to go dead but knew better than to hang up. A solid minute must have passed before there was a sign of life flickered back along with a storm of static. The sound was almost familiar enough to bring him back to a place he didn't want to be in.

"Leon? You there?"

Squall's eyes shot open in shock. It couldn't be… "Almasy?"

"Finally! What the hell kind of stunt did you pull?!"

Narrowing his eyes, Squall leaned over the desk. There had to have been a mistake. "They said that my commander was calling."

"That's right Leonhart, and he is."

"How the hell—"

"Watch your tone soldier." Squall fell silent, Seifer speaking back up after a pause, "About a week after you disappeared there was a raid on the barracks while we were all in the mess hall. Five guys didn't make it out, including the commander. Actually, I should be thanking you for leaving because I didn't have any competition for getting promoted."

"Is Zell—"

"Dincht is fine. He almost choked on a frickin' hot dog in the raid but the idiot's fine now. The person I'm most worried about is you. What the hell are you doing? I get a call saying you've been arrested in goddamn Twilight Town?"

"It's a long story…"

"Don't even start Leon."

"They have me on desertion. That means federal prison."

"I know what it means Leon. You did too when you left."

Squall shook his head. He didn't know if he should be happy about Seifer now being his superior or dreading it; Seifer was both a friend and a rival. More than that though, Squall knew that Seifer had a strong sense of justice, just like he did. "Yeah."

There was a long pause before Squall heard a sigh, "I'll do what I can for you, but you're going to have to change your attitude. And if I here you cause any more trouble in my hometown, I'm coming out there and beating your ass myself. Got it?"

Squall let out a breath of relief, a small chuckle escaping him as he finally let himself relax, "Yeah…Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet…I'm sure I owe you somehow, think of this as repayment."

Squall nodded. So that's how Seifer was convincing himself that this was the right thing to do. "The detective who transferred your call wants to talk to you after this."

"Alright."

"Thanks again…"

"That's 'thanks again, _sir'_ from you, soldier. Try to stay out of trouble, this is a one-time thing."

"I don't doubt it, _sir_."

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Squall gazed at it for a moment before glanced up at Detective Strife. "I'm done…"

Detective Strife rose from where he had sat at his partner's desk and took the phone, listening for a moment before nodding, "It sounds like the call's been transferred. What'd he say?"

"I don't think I have to tell you."

His reply seemed to frustrate the blond as the man looked away with a huff and the small smile that hadn't left his lips spread a little. He could tell the detective was tired. Squall could sympathize. "Fine." Detective Strife rested his hands on his hips before looking back at the phone in his hands, "My supervisor should call back in a few minutes, you might as well stick around. It will just be more trouble for me to have to go get you again."

Squall found it hard to keep his head up and eyes open during the wait. As a SeeD he had been trained to be able to function for a week on only four hours of sleep, but the last 36 hours had taken a heavy toll. It had just been an emotional rollercoaster.

Just when he thought he was going to fall asleep on top of Detective Strife's desk, the phone finally rang again and the blond quickly snatched it up. Squall didn't have the energy to listen in on the conversation; the detective would tell him anything that he wanted Squall to know. However, he was startled when Detective Strife's voice raised into a shout, "What?! That's ridiculous!...Is that legal?...No…But sir, I…" Squall watched in interest as the detective's body seemed to deflate a little as he was berated through the phone lines. Squall could just hear the voice on the other side and, although he couldn't understand what was being said, he could tell the other person was rather irate. "No…Yes, sir, I understand…Alright…Bye."

The detective practically threw the phone back onto its base, the blond leaning onto his desk in front of Squall with his head bowed in thought. Squall knew that this meant good news for him. "So what's the verdict?"

Detective Strife let out a heavy sigh at his voice and straightened up as he ran a hand over his face. "Apparently…we have to let you go."

Squall raised a brow. What sort of trick was Seifer able to pull? "How's that?"

"Apparently your status has just been changed from AWOL to "on leave" and the charges of desertion were dropped." Squall let out a breath he had been holding and nodded. So he hadn't escaped SeeD but had escaped prison. This meant that eventually he would have to go back and serve the remaining five months in his contract but he could manage. That is, if he survived his current line of work. He wasn't looking forward to the expression on Seifer's face when they next met though; that smug bastard was probably going to put him through hell for this.

But for now, all that mattered was that he was no longer under arrest. Glancing down at his wrists, Squall smirked and held up his hands, "So then how about taking these cuffs off?"

Detective Strife rolled his eyes before digging a small key out of his pocket. With a sharp click, the handcuffs fell away from his wrists and landed on the ground with a clatter, neither of the two men feeling motivated to reach down and pick them back up. "Am I free to leave then?"

"That's right. What bullshit…" Motioning for Squall to follow, the detective rose to his feet and the two made their way out of the office, "But don't think you're off the hook. We both know you're guilty and it will only be a matter of time until we find some evidence or you and your group slip up and hand us some on a silver platter. Don't even think about skipping town because I would personally hunt you down."

"I would expect you to…"

They had reached the main entrance to the station, Squall's voice trailing off as he spotted the door. It was odd to think that he would be able to simply walk out again after having been escorted inside by police officers fourteen hours ago. Marching behind the main desk, Detective Strife ignored the officer stationed there on night-shift and riffled through a box set on the ground. Pulling out an envelope, he stood up and dumped its contents out onto the countertop, "Here are your things. We confiscated the stolen money as evidence but everything else should be there."

Squall didn't even bother to inspect his wallet before shoving it into his pocket, his keys receiving the same treatment. He was feeling very out of it and just wanted to get out of there. It was already late…he would probably have to walk back to the train station…Shaking his head to try and focus himself, Squall walked over to the door, glancing back at Detective Strife to see if the man was going to try and stop him. The blond however was just watching him leave, his arms crossed over his chest and a small, annoyed frown on his face.

Nodding back at him, Squall turned back towards the door and pushed it open, his mind relaxing a bit as the night air rushed over him. He was out, and now that his mind was able to unwind, his body seemed to want to do the same as a wave of exhaustion hit him. Grabbing the railing for support, Squall tried to regain some control but apparently his mind and body had had enough, the world spinning sickeningly before everything went black.

* * *

Cloud had been watching sullenly as Leonhart stepped out of the station before the man suddenly stumbled, collapsing in a dead faint. Cursing, Cloud darted forward and grabbed the soldier's wrist to feel for a pulse. Alright, he was definitely alive, the pulse count slow but nothing to be too worried about. He had been lucky he hadn't rolled down the stairs when he had fainted.

Looking up at Leonhart, Cloud brushed the man's bangs out of his face so that he could see his eyes. They were closed, the SeeD totally unresponsive to his touches. He was out like a light.

Looking up, Cloud had to wonder just who up there was messing with him and if they enjoyed making his life hell. Even though Leonhart was a criminal Cloud knew that his conscience wouldn't allow him to let Leonhart make his way home by himself in this condition. Besides, he didn't need him filing a suit for maltreatment against the Twilight Town Police Department. Cloud had two options then: he could put Leonhart up for the night in a local hotel or he could drive the man home. Either way, he would have to waste his own time and money, it would just matter which was less inconvenient.

As he mulled over his options, Cloud pulled one of Leonhart's arms over his shoulder and hoisted the man up, nearly dragging the taller, heavier man down the stairs. No matter which he chose, Cloud would have to drive him somewhere so he might as well get Leonhart to his car first. The movement seemed to bring the SeeD back a little as the man let out an unintelligible murmur, Cloud glancing over just in time to see a sliver of steel grey before Leonhart's eyes flickered closed again. Now that his face was this close, Cloud had to admit that Leonhart was attractive, the scar cutting across the other's face not even enough to ruin his good looks. Too bad he was on the wrong side of the law…

Finally reaching his car, he managed to unlock it and flip open the door to the back seat, pulling it open with his leg before practically throwing Leonhart inside. Letting out a breath, Cloud readjusted his jacket and watched as Leonhart seemed to wake up a bit from the impact. Leaning against the side of the car, Cloud gazed down at his suspect as Leonhart seemed to force his eyes open through sheer willpower, "It's your lucky day Leonhart. For whatever godforsaken reason, I have decided to drive you back to Traverse Town." Actually, he knew the reason. The gas it would cost was less than the money he would need to rent a hotel room for a night. Plus, it would just by-pass the whole awkwardness involved with dragging Leonhart's half-conscious body into a hotel lobby to request a room with only one bed. Plus, he just liked to drive sometimes. "I'll be right back with the rest of my stuff. Don't mess with my car."

Turning, Cloud hurried back into the station to gather up his things. He wasn't too worried about leaving Leonhart alone in his car. It was a converted police cruiser so it had certain perks that your average civilian car lacked. For example, it still had a police radio, the screen between the back and front seats, remote rear door locking, a PIT bumper, and a mobile data terminal that allowed him to look up information from his car. He even had lights that he could attach to the roof if he wanted to pull someone over or join a chase. Basically, in the back seat, Leonhart wasn't going anywhere.

And he wasn't disappointed. When he returned, a briefcase in his hands stuffed full of more paperwork to go over, Cloud found the thief still sitting in the back seat, although it looked like the man was trying to keep himself awake. Smirking, Cloud climbed into the driver's seat, glancing back at Leonhart through the metal mesh, "Comfy?"

"Not bad actually…"

Shaking his head, Cloud started up the car, glancing back once more before shifting into drive, "Well, you might as well rest up back there…It will be a long ride."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm a good guy I guess."

Cloud hadn't expected Leonhart to be a big conversationalist, but what caught him off guard was how comfortable he felt with Leonhart in the car. Usually when he had a criminal in the back he was very tense but it bothered him how much he was able to relax with the soldier in the car. Even though he knew now that Leonhart was very capable of causing him serious harm, the SeeD had clearly shown that he had no interest in using his martial skills against Cloud. And Cloud believed it for once.

Looking up at the rearview mirror, Cloud saw that Leonhart had passed back out, the side of his face pressed up against the back window as he slept. Smirking, Cloud adjusted his grip on the steering wheel and turned his attention back to the road. Since it was passed midnight, there were very few drivers out on the highway and as he got out of the city the sky began to take over more of the horizon, stars flickering out from the darkness. It was enough to make a man think about his role in the grand scheme of things and wonder how people like Leonhart could go wrong.

A brief hour later, Cloud found himself driving past a Traverse Town city limit sign. Glancing around, Cloud took the off ramp towards the town center before knocking against the metal mesh, "Hey sleeping beauty, time to wake up."

He heard muttering before Leonhart answered back, his voice gruff from sleep, "…Where are we?"

"Just got into Traverse, taking the town center exit. Where do you want to be dropped off?"

"Mm…" Leonhart fell silent for a moment before replying, "the hospital."

Remembering that's where Leonhart's dependant, he was pretty sure the name was "Sora", was, Cloud didn't bother to question the soldier's choice. Luckily, he didn't have to ask Leonhart for directions since signs for the hospital were posted along the road. Once he drove further into the city, it didn't take too long to find the building. Pulling up along the curb, Cloud put his car into park and got out, opening Leonhart's door for him since the backseat was locked from the inside.

Cloud cleared his throat as Leonhart stepped out, "Expect me to be in touch within a few days; I'm sure Detective Flynn and I will have a few more questions to ask you then. Maybe we'll even have an arrest warrant."

Leonhart raised a brow, looking down at Cloud condescendingly, "I'm guessing you mean one that will last longer than half a day, unlike the one you served today."

"You're going to loose that sense of humor of yours real quick in prison."

All Cloud got in response was a quiet scoff, Leonhart giving a dismissing wave before sticking his hands in his pocket and walking away from the car towards the hospital entrance. Well, at least Leonhart was grateful…Not waiting to see if the SeeD made it inside the hospital, Cloud jumped back into his car. It would be close to 5am by the time he got back to his house…maybe he would call in sick tomorrow.

* * *

Squall watched warily as Detective Strife moodily climbed back into his car and drove away. Huh, there really hadn't been a catch to that. Maybe he should've thanked the detective. Then again, he didn't feel too bad; the man had kept him imprisoned for over half a day.

He felt much better after the nap he had taken in the back of Detective Strife's squad car, not that he was one hundred percent but he was able to function now. Pushing open the double doors, Squall walked into the hospital. Luckily it seemed that the secretary who had gotten him arrested was off duty; he didn't want to deal with any glares or frightened stares. Walking over to the woman currently behind the reception desk, Squall leaned on the counter as the woman glanced up. One of the blessings of a hospital was the no one was surprised when a man wandered in at two in the morning. "Hello, I know that visiting hours are over but I came to see if I could visit my brother, Sora Leonhart? There was a, family emergency, and I want to tell him about what's going on. I'm sure he's worried."

"Yes, I know. Usually we don't do this sort of thing but we've allowed it in your case. I'm terribly sorry about what happened. Do you have more news about his grandmother?"

Squall blinked. Who did she think he was exactly? "His…grandmother? Um…what do you--?"

"Oh, you must not have been told! Your cousin came a few hours ago to try and calm Sora down. When my shift started I was told that the patient in room 106 was very distressed but no one would tell me why. Then his cousin, well, your cousin too I suppose, came in and explained the situation to me. The poor little dear; it's hard for someone his age to lose someone dear to you. Your cousin said that Sora and his grandmother were very close."

Pausing, Squall closed his eyes. Riku…"Could you tell me what my cousin looked like? I just don't know who came…"

"Yes sir. He had longer silver hair, rather tall, fairly pale skin. Forgive me for saying so, but I don't see much family resemblance."

So Riku had lied his way inside. Why was he so surprised? "Yeah, he was adopted. Is he still in?"

"I haven't seen him leave yet, so I assume so."

"Would it be possible for me to go back and see them?"

"Well, it's against hospital policy but I understand how the poor dear must feel so, go ahead." The woman gave a sly grin, "Just don't let anyone see you."

Squall smiled politely at her, "I can't thank you enough. And don't worry, I won't let anyone else know I'm here."

He had to admit that Riku knew how to charm people. This woman was clearly still reeling from the aftereffects. But it all made his job easier. Strolling towards the back, Squall glanced around the corner and, not seeing any staff members, made his way towards the patients' rooms. Since it was so late, there weren't many doctors or nurses on duty and the halls were nearly silent, the lights dimmed so as not to disturb the occupants of the surrounding rooms.

Quieting his footsteps, Squall easily made his way to Sora's room, remembering where it was from his earlier trip there. As he reached the door, he didn't hear any voices coming from inside. He knew that Sora didn't often stay up late but he had expected that the teen would still be up if Riku was still visiting.

Squall knocked gently on the door before cracking it open, slowly swinging it open the rest of the way as he saw Sora sprawled out on his bed sleeping soundly. The TV was on in the corner of the room, the volume soft; Sora had probably forgotten to turn it off before he went to sleep. Narrowing his eyes, Squall stepped inside, starting as out of the corner of his eye he spotted movement in the corner of the room.

Whipping around, Squall let out a breath of air, running a hand through his hair before closing the door to Sora's room behind him, "Gods Riku, make a noise next time will you?"

Riku grinned at him from his seat in the far corner, the young man dressed casually with one leg crossed over the other. When he spoke, Squall was surprised that he was considerate enough to keep his voice down while Sora was sleeping in the same room, "So, they let you out?"

"Good behavior." Looking around, he caught sight of empty take-out food boxes on the nightstand, "You ate in here?"

"I hadn't had dinner before you called. By the way, you owe me the money for a slice of pie. I grabbed one for the kid before I came in."

Squall was surprised; that was actually thoughtful. "Fine." Glancing back at Sora, Squall crossed his arms over his chest, "How long has he been asleep for?"

"I don't know, about an hour maybe."

Squall's head whipped back around, his eyes narrowing, "So, not that I don't appreciate it but, what are you still doing here?" It was just a little disconcerting imagining a hitman hovering over his baby brother while he was passed out.

Riku shrugged, "I figured that you might show up. Besides, I've been watching TV and the company's not half bad."

Squall's eyes narrowed further, "You better not have tried anything—"

Rolling his eyes, Riku waved towards Sora's motionless form, "Not even I'm messed up enough to take advantage of the kid when he has an IV in his arm. Wake him up yourself if you want to check." The silver haired man eyed him for a moment, speaking up again after a short silence, "He seemed really worried about you, he'd want to know that you were out."

Squall frowned but nodded. Turning back around, he took the step over to stand beside Sora. Crouching down, Squall brushed a few strands of hair out of Sora's face, the teen letting out a soft murmur at the contact. Sora was looking even healthier than the last time he had seen him. Having a day of rest really did him some good. It felt wrong to wake him but he knew that Sora _would_ want to know what was going on.

"Hey Sora…Sor, wake up."

Sora's frowned, his nose scrunching up as a sleepy hand came up as if to brush Squall's voice away, "Mn…five more minu's…"

Sighing, Squall ran his hand down Sora's arm, giving the teen a light shake. "Sorry Sor, but you'll be madder at me if I don't wake you up."

Sora's frown twisted in confusion, "Uhngh, Squall…?" Saying his brother's name seemed to spark some sort of memory because Sora's sky blue eyes shot open, "Squall!" Lurching up despite his older brother's protests, Sora threw his arms around Squall's neck, "Squall, you're back!"

Squall ruffled Sora's hair as he shushed the boy, "You have to be quiet, we're not supposed to be in here."

Sora pulled away and nodded silently before a frown touched his face. "We?" Squall motioned with his head back to where Riku was sitting and a blush lit Sora's face, "O-oh! You stayed?"

Riku gave Sora his charming grin much to Squall's disgust, "I told you it wouldn't be too long before Squall got back."

Sora's head spun back to look at his brother before he nodded, burying his face in Squall's shoulder. Squall was barely able to understand Sora as the teen's voice was muffled by his jacket, "'m glad your back…" Pulling away, Sora narrowed his brow, "What happened? Riku, Riku told me that you were in jail."

Letting out a slow breath, Squall looked into straight into Sora's blue eyes, "He was right. Sora…I…" His voice trailed off. He didn't know who he was going to explain any of this so that Sora would understand, _understand_ why he had done what he had did, and why he couldn't stop doing it.

His brother saved him by giving a weak smile, "I know that, you're a good person so, you, must be doing what you think is right. Just, don't say that, that you're putting yourself in trouble for me."

"Oh, no, no, no, Sora," Squall brushed his fingers across Sora's cheeks to soothe away the tears that were welling up in his brother's eyes, "No Sora, I promise nothing is your fault. I'm, doing what I have to, for the both of us. Alright?" Sora squeezed his eyes shut but nodded, and Squall gave him a sad smile, "But now that I was taken in, things might change a little. I'll try to keep things normal but, if anything happens, you'll have to trust me enough to know that I'll do what's best for us both."

Blinking his eyes opened, Sora's lips pursed into a determined line, "Okay. I said that I trusted you Squall, and that's never going to change." The teen's face softened and he poked Squall's chest, "You, you look tired though. You should get home and get some sleep."

"You too." Gently lowering Sora so that he was laying back down on the cot, Squall ruffled his hair, "But, I might just take you up on that. I'll come in to visit tomorrow as soon as visitor hours start."

"Okay. I'll be waiting." Sora finally smiled, although the expression didn't quite reach his eyes as it usually did.

Smiling back, Squall nodded before rising to his feet, motioning for Riku to follow him. Saying a soft good-night, Squall opened the door ushered Riku out before slipping back out into the hall himself, closing the door silently behind him. The two made their way back toward the lobby, both naturally checking around corners to see if anyone was coming before continuing on. It wasn't until they had actually exited the hospital entirely when Riku spoke up. "So, glad to see that you're out and all but I hope you know that Zex is pissed, and that's an understatement."

Squall looked off toward the parking lot, for some reason surprised to see that his motorcycle still standing where he had left it when he had first followed Sora to the hospital. It seemed like a long time ago. "It's not like I meant to do it. One of us was going to spend the money first, it just happened to be me."

"Yeah, well, after you hung up from your little call from the station, Zexion threw a bit of a hissy fit. I don't think he's mad at you, just the situation…although I wouldn't test that theory if I were you."

"So what's the plan then?"

"Same old thing really, except we all lost a major pay check. Zex is already planning our next job to try and make up for it but we'll see how things go. Just lay low for now, take care of your kid brother, whatever. What did the cops want to know anyway?"

Squall's face grew serious, "They're onto us, but don't have any evidence. They know your names too, yours and Zexion's."

"Hm. Well, that's going to be a problem. More good news for Zexion…I suppose I'll call him; he'd probably tear you to shreds if you called right now."

Tilting his head to the side, Squall rested a hand on his hip, "…Why are you being so, understanding?"

Riku paused and frowned, "I don't know. Odd, isn't it?" A smirk grew on the hitman's lips, "Maybe I just like having you in my debt?"

Not liking the way Riku had said that, Squall just shook his head and walked away towards his bike. Things were getting too complicated.


	7. Chapter 7

Alright! I managed to get Chapter 7 out on time! We'll see how the next few go as school really starts to ramps up (particularly considering I will soon be starting a part time job as well), but once again I'll do my best! ^^ Also, I realized the last chapters have been a little less action-packed than some of the previous ones; for all of you who were getting perhaps a little bored, this chapter should cheer you up a little.

Tons of thanks to Metamorcy, flammula, DeNiSaY60, ChibixLeon, Emerald Moonrose, fenrir-ice-wolf, infinityinmirrors, Bane-Dane, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, b4k4 ch4n, Shinimegami7, , Caithdean, Composer Gizmo-chan, LoneBoy7, ooXloveXoo582, Aindel S. Druida, ramen-is-my-goddess, Lucia-luce, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, and RealityInABottle! You guys are the best!! ^^

O

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

Darkness had completely fallen when Squall left his home. Having spent nearly the entire day at the hospital with Sora, he hadn't had time to do much else when he got home besides grab something to eat before he had to go back out again. Stuffing his hands into his pockets to ward off some of the cold that was just beginning to seep into the night air, Squall quickly made it to his motorcycle. As he reached it, Squall hesitated only a moment before getting on and starting it up.

He wasn't sure he wanted to face Zexion right now. From what Riku had said last night, it was a good bet that the man was still upset. Then again, he should be. After having managed to perform a near-perfect crime, their heist had been completely compromised by the fact that the owners had traced their money. Then again, Squall found it hard to imagine Zexion, who remained calm and cool even under a constant barrage of smart comments from Riku, getting enraged over anything. And he had to admit it; he was a little nervous, just a little, about being part of the problem and being on the receiving end of Zexion's bad mood.

With these thoughts haunting him, Squall found himself driving up to the pseudo-vacant house he had become so familiar with sooner than he would've liked. Eyeing the building's silent façade, he dropped the kickstand and dismounted. Nothing seemed different than any other day…but he could almost sense an aura of irritation pulsing from the structure. Not good…but it would be easier just to get it over with.

Squall put on a stoic face and pushed the front door open, surprised when he didn't find himself met by the business end of a gun. Spotting Riku, Squall closed the door cautiously behind him and moved further into the room, "Where's Zexion?"

Riku glanced up from the magazine he was holding, the young man sprawled out on the couch that he had apparently claimed, "In the other room. He's been trying to get a hold of Marluxia ever since you called and the guy finally just returned Zexion's call."

Squall glanced over at the room Riku had indicated and narrowed his eyes as Zexion's voice suddenly raised enough for them to hear before quieting back down. "I've heard Marluxia's name a lot. Who is he?"

Riku shrugged as he turned a page, "Someone Zexion's known for a long time, longer than I've been around anyway. Marluxia starting setting us up with jobs a while ago but I've never actually talked seen him. I actually thought Zexion was just psycho and 'Marluxia' was a split personality or something for a few months until I talked to him on the phone."

"How does he find your targets?"

"How should I know?"

"Why did Zexion want to call him?"

Riku opened his mouth to answer, but a different voice cut him to it, "Because Marluxia should have known that the money was traced." Squall turned his head to find that Zexion had come back into the main room, an annoyed scowl replacing his usually serene features. "Now if you are done interrogating Riku, I have some questions of my own."

Squall straightened up, his eyes hardening as he prepared himself for a verbal attack, "Don't put the blame for this on me."

"I do not see why it would be inappropriate, given that you were the one who decided it would be a good idea to pay a large sum of money in cash! I would not even have expected Riku to do that, much less you!" The shorter man crossed his arms angrily, "Now the Twilight Town police are onto us; it will be impossible to make a move in that town for the next few weeks. We might even have to wait a month or two before it is safe for us to act there again."

"They're not idiots, they would've found out the money was traced from the owners and found us anyway after one of us deposited it in the bank."

Zexion's visible eye narrowed, "You did not tell them anything when they took you in for questioning? Riku said that they knew who we were."

Squall frowned, his pride injured, "I've been trained to withstand months of torture without telling an enemy so much as my name; I'm not going to give up anything to a couple of detectives. They knew your and Riku's names without me having to tell them anything."

Zexion stared straight into Squall's eyes as if he was peeling apart his soul before looking away and letting out a small huff, "They must have another source then…I will have to look into it."

Seeing that his employer seemed temporarily placated, Squall's mind went back to something that Zexion had said during his little tirade, "You said that we couldn't work in Twilight Town anymore, but Riku told me that you had already started to plan a new job for us. Where's it going to be?"

Remaining silent for a second, Zexion then turned and walked over to a bookcase against the far wall and pulled out a long roll of paper from amongst the binders and piles of paperwork. Making his way back over to Squall and Riku, who seemed only barely interested in their conversation, Zexion let the paper in his hand unfurl to reveal a map of a very large city. "Dark City."

Riku glanced over at the name, a smirk spreading across his pale lips, "Now you're speaking my language!"

Zexion raised a brow, "Yes, well, it seemed like an opportune time to return to our old stomping grounds, given that Twilight Town is out of the question."

Riku's sharp teal eyes sparked, "Where to?"

"Non-residential this time." Zexion walked over to the table, Riku and Squall following, and set the map down. Pointing to a spot in the middle of the city, Zexion continued, "A corporate building owned by a company called the 'Dark City Organization'. Not the most original name I must admit, but it seems that they deal in loans, among other things, and therefore act much like a private bank, keeping some of their clients' money and valuables in a storeroom in their office."

Riku leaned in to study the building Zexion had pointed to, "Alright, so what's the catch? It's downtown, so it's probably in one of the skyscrapers, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Squall frowned, "If they are located downtown and are doing well enough to catch your attention, they probably have enough money to set up a pretty advanced security system."

"Exactly." Zexion looked back at Riku, "The 'catch' is that the security system is so advanced that I will not be able to deal with it remotely and will have to work with each problem as it presents itself."

"So that means what?"

"It means that I am going in with the both of you."

Squall blinked as Riku let out a groan beside him, "Is there anyway you can just tell us what to do with the headsets?"

Shaking his head, Zexion frowned, "No, the system will be too complex. Besides, Leon, I assure you I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

The man looked so scrawny that it was hard to believe but Squall decided it was better to let it go. After all, Zexion was familiar with this line of work and older than him, certainly old enough to know his own limits. But there was still something that was bothering him about all of this. "…Did you get this target from Marluxia?"

"I believe that we already had this conversation during our previous case."

"You didn't give me an answer then either."

Zexion's frustration flashed to the surface just long enough to let Squall know that he was treading on thin ice. "Marluxia has given us many tips in the past and they have all turned out to be accurate. I have spoken with him about what occurred during our last outing and he had assured me that he was not aware that the money was traced, nor had his sources underground known of it. In response, I informed him that if such a thing ever happened again, I would cease to associate with him further and that he would quickly find himself with a bullet in the back of his head. Now, would you care to persist in our game of twenty questions or may I continue?"

Squall pursed his lips but stopped himself from talking back, not wanting to incite any more anger out of the smaller man. From what Zexion had said, it seemed that Marluxia was some sort of middle man, carrying information from criminals around the city back to Zexion.

Riku seemed to dislike the silence because he spoke up after Squall refused to say anything, "Get on with it, will you? Just tell us what your _brilliant_ scheme is so we can start learning our parts."

Narrowing his eyes at Riku, Zexion grabbed a folder that had been hiding under the map, "I hope for your sake Riku that was not sarcasm." He flipped the file open and a handful of photographs and diagrams spilled out, "But putting that aside, for now, I suppose I had better explain your roles so that you can actually execute them properly."

Taking a moment to lay out the pictures, Zexion launched into his most recent plot, Squall listening on avidly. As soon as he had heard that they wouldn't be working in Twilight Town again for a while, he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Detective Strife and his partner, Detective Flynn, had been getting a little too close to the truth; they both seemed like good enough men so it would be a shame if he, Zexion, or Riku had to remove them from the picture. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle that…

The next few days and nights passed abnormally quickly as Squall settled into a new routine, visiting Sora during the day and spending his nights in the vacant house. Any spare time he had was spent sleeping, eating, and watching for any signs that the Twilight Town police were tracking his movements.

After three days, Sora was finally released from the hospital and Squall was able to bring the boy home. When Squall had picked Sora up from the hospital, his doctor had said that the teen needed to continue to take it easy but as soon as they stepped over the threshold into their own home Sora had demanded that he be allowed to go to school the next day. Squall had given in, finding that it was useless to try to convince Sora otherwise. Ever since Squall had been released from his short stay with the Twilight Town police, Sora hadn't brought up Squall's work once but seemed oddly determined to be more independent.

That night though, Sora watched from the couch as Squall gathered his things together, a small frown on his face, "Squall…? Are you going back out?"

Glancing up at his brother, Squall nodded, trying to maintain a casual tone, "Yeah. I should be back early in the morning, I'll try not to wake you."

Sora's frown didn't fade, the teen turning around in his seat to watch as Squall pulled on his jacket, "Are you going to, do anything tonight?"

Squall smiled softly in an attempt to soothe Sora. He was obviously trying to figure out if Squall was going to be up to anything illegal. "Today should be a pretty low-key night. Don't worry about it too much, you're apparently going to class tomorrow and need your sleep."

Pouting, Sora rested his chin on the back of the couch, "You're not going to get hurt or anything?"

"No, nothing dangerous tonight, I promise. Now, remember to get to bed at a decent time and wake me up when you're ready to go so I can give you a ride." Sora opened his mouth to argue but Squall held up a hand, "You're already pushing it by going to class, I'm not letting you walk to school and back, especially since it's getting cold.

Sora slouched a bit, letting out a breath, "Alright…"

Satisfied, Squall nodded, walking over to place a quick kiss to the top of Sora's head, "Remember to take your medicine before you go to sleep. Your doctor already doesn't like me much after what happened, don't give him a reason to hold any more of a grudge."

"I'll remember. Be careful, okay?"

Chuckling, Squall nodded again as he made his way toward the front door, giving a playful salute as he pushed it open, "Yes, sir." This roused a snicker from Sora and Squall finally felt comfortable leaving. Waving good-bye, he took his finally took his leave, as always making sure the door was locked firmly behind him.

Riding his motorcycle through the darkened city streets, Squall sped back to the vacant house. This was the last night of planning before the hit so he wanted to get there early. Although Zexion had always been a careful planner, he was growing almost obsessive, using every scrap of information Marluxia had sent to compose the most elaborate operation that Squall had ever been a part of. It was going to be a surgical strike: get in, get the goods, get out, while avoiding any security that may be stationed in the building. If Zexion had been a SeeD, he would have possibly been the best strategist that the group had ever had.

Arriving shortly at their headquarters, Squall quickly made his way inside, finding Zexion and Riku hunkered over the table. No matter how early Squall got there, Riku always made it there before him, which was unbelievably annoying when Squall thought about it too hard. Which is why he tried not to think about it.

Looking up just long enough to identify him as he walked in, Zexion turned back down to the papers scattered across the tabletop, "I am having Riku repeat the plan to me to check that he has it memorized. You will be next but go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the meantime."

Riku scowled, straightening up as Squall took a seat on his couch, "Hey! How the hell is this fair? He's just going to hear everything I say and copy me!"

"Do not be childish Riku. He has a different job than you. Besides, I trust his ability to focus on the mission more than yours. Continue from where you left off."

Squall smirked as Riku heaved a heavy sigh but began to run through his part in their plan. Squall personally wasn't worried about being quizzed; he had his part memorized for a while now. After Riku had finished, only skipping over a few points, Squall proved it to Zexion, repeating back the whole plan without a single error.

Ignoring Riku's glare as he finished up, Squall looked down at Zexion as the man gave a stiff nod, "Good. Now that I know you both were paying attention, I feel confident enough that we are ready to proceed. However, this time around, the set-up will be a little different than our last few jobs in that we will be making the hit on Sunday. Although normally this is a day off, I took the liberty of assuming that the both of you will be available."

Squall frowned; one of the few bonuses in this job was that he was able to spend the entire weekend with Sora. "Why does it have to be Sunday?"

"Because, that will ensure that the fewest number of people possible will be in the building at night. During the week, there may be workers who stay late, so it would be best to strike over the weekend." Gathering the paperwork up, Zexion glanced back at his employees, "Until then, keep a low profile. We cannot give those detectives any reason to suspect that we will soon be making a move."

Zexion had nothing to worry about on Squall's end. As the weekend arrived, Squall spent nearly all his time inside with Sora, trying to keep his brother from participating in any strenuous activity. In fact he only left the house one to run to the store for groceries, the rest of the day spent in front of the TV with Sora trying to beat a video game. It was nice, just to be normal for a while, even though the both knew it couldn't last for very long.

When Sunday night finally rolled around, Squall made dinner for them and told Sora that he would have to out for the night. Sora hadn't argued the matter and Squall had finished the dishes then left, giving Sora a tight hug before stepping out of the door. As if sensing that tonight his older brother would be putting himself in danger, Sora had returned the gesture with all his might, so much so that Squall practically had to pry the poor kid off so that he could leave.

Because they didn't have any need for a van this time, their arrival plan was a little different. As Squall understood it, Riku and Zexion should have arrived in Dark City earlier during the day on separate trains, leaving the last train for Squall to take in. They were all to meet up in an alley near their target building that Zexion had indicated on the map a few days ago.

After buying his train ticket, Squall tried to avoid the other passenger's gazes as he boarded. He would've worn sunglasses to help hide his identity, but it would've only been more suspicious to be seen wearing them after sunset. Setting his duffle bag which held all of his gear, including two handguns, onto his lap, Squall turned his head so that he could stare out through the window. Dark City was a good deal farther away from Traverse Town than Twilight Town; it would probably be about three hours before they arrived.

Luckily, his thoughts kept his mind occupied the entire way, Squall watching with some interest as Dark City began to come into view just as the sun finished sinking below the horizon. He had never actually been, and couldn't help but be a little impressed at the vast extent of man-made lights shimmering out in the distance. It was larger than he had expected, Squall's eyes trailing up the towering skyscrapers as the train drew closer to its destination. It was certainly a marvel of human ingenuity but Squall preferred the closeness of Traverse or Twilight Town…but he could see how someone like Riku would feel right at home in this concrete jungle.

Shouldering his duffle bag as the train pulled into the station, Squall stepped off onto the platform and began to walk. From the maps Zexion had shown him, the station wasn't too far from the "Dark City Organization's"' place of business and he didn't want to risk being later recognized by a taxi driver. Squall maintained his cool as he made it out to the city streets, despite the throngs of people still out and about despite the hour. It looked like he was in a restaurant and shopping district so it was to be expected.

Going over the city map from memory, Squall began to weave his way around corners and down city blocks, the buildings becoming taller and more imposing as he walked further towards the city centre and into the business district. Here the shadows seemed to play off of each other almost as if they were alive, making Squall tense. He almost got himself lost until he looked up and saw the Organization's tower looming about three blocks away, Squall immediately recognizing its silhouette from the photos Zexion had.

From there on out Squall used the building as his guide, ignoring the thinning number of passer-bys, trying to keep his head down as often as possible to try and make use of the shadows and keep them on his face. Just as he was beginning to feel vertigo from looking up at it, Squall rounded a corner and found himself in a small clearing amongst the buildings, the skyscraper standing in the center like some sort of monument to greed.

Glancing around for Riku or Zexion, Squall walked around so that he was facing the front, his eyes narrowing a little from the glare as neon lights hit him. The façade of the building was lit up, strings of light running up the sides all the way to the roof where a giant screen was perched with advertisements flashing across. In the surrounding darkness it captured one's attention and kept a hold of it with an iron grip, Squall ripping his gaze away to scan his surroundings.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he spotted a flash of silver dart into the blackness. Taking after it, Squall recognized the spot as where their meeting point, his thoughts confirmed as he rounded a corner and caught sight of two figures leaning against the alley's concrete wall. One's face completely shrouded underneath the dark hood that he wore but the other was unmistakably Riku, his own hood down and not doing a thing to hide his pulled-back silver hair. As soon as Squall entered the area, both Zexion and Riku looked up, Zexion giving him a quick nod, "There you are. I was starting to think that neither of you were going to show."

Riku shrugged nonchalantly, resting his hands on hips, "Hey, I don't get back home that often, I have to enjoy myself a little."

"Work before pleasure, Riku. Leon, take a few moments to put yourself together." Squall took the hint and set down his bag, stripping off his jacket to reveal a long-sleeved black shirt. Tying his hair back, Squall dug through his things, pulling out his gloves and guns, strapping everything on as Zexion began again, "I have staked out the building for the last few hours and it appears that very few people are inside, all of them appearing to be security guards. There are more than I had expected, given the time and day, so we may need to prepare ourselves for an unorthodox methods of escape."

Squall raised a brow as he straightened up, "How do you mean?"

Pushing himself off of the wall, Zexion grabbed a bag that was sitting on the ground beside him and pulled it around to the front so that Riku and Squall could see. Unzipping it, Zexion reached in, "I mean, given that the front door is the only way in and out, that it may become necessary to find another exit if, for whatever reason, our little venture should catch the attention of the guards." With that said, he pulled out equipment that Squall recognized.

"Rappelling gear?"

Zexion nodded, "I would advise that we all put on a harness now while we have the time to make for a quick escape if on is required."

Riku rolled his eyes but grabbed a harness out of the back, "This is so going to chafe on leather…"

Squall could sympathize. Grabbing his own harness, Squall pulled it on, slipping it over his boots and his leather pants. Luckily, the harness fit fairly well so it shouldn't impede his movements too much. He had only used rappelling gear once through SeeD in an actually combat situation; he and a few others had to rappel out of a helicopter to reach their target. Rappelling off of a stationary object was bound to be easier.

After he had finished strapping on his own harness, Zexion finished by passing them all the remaining equipment, including a length of rope which attached to the harness at the waist. "Now that that is settled I suppose we are ready to go. I opted out of using headsets given that we should not be in a situation where we must be separated. Moreover, and more importantly, given the intricacy of their security system, I would not be surprised if our transmission was intercepted and that is unacceptable. Keep in mind that if anything goes wrong and we do end up getting split up, you are to fulfill your part of the mission to the best of your abilities and we will regroup at the vacant house in Traverse two days from now." Squall and Riku nodded their agreement; as terrible as it sounded, all three of them knew that if anyone fell behind had to be left behind in the heat of the moment. "Alright, now that lines have been clearly drawn, I believe it is time to get down to business."

Squall took the hint, slinging his duffle over his head before heading out of the alleyway, Riku and Zexion close on his heels. The plan, as ostentatious as it was, was to enter directly through the main entrance. Walking through the courtyard, Squall hurried up the large flight of steps to the doors, Riku and Squall flanking Zexion as the smaller man rushed up to a small box located near the doors where employees usually swiped their access key cards to gain entry. Acting as lookouts, Squall and Riku watched the surrounding area for any living souls or security cameras as Zexion got to work.

Pulling out a small plastic case from the bag he was carrying, Zexion produced what looked like a miniature crow-bar and carefully pried off the box's plastic covering to reveal the circuitry hidden underneath. Squall didn't care to watch as Zexion worked, not caring what the man did as long as it got them in quickly. He wasn't disappointed. Less than half a minute later, Zexion let out a small murmur, Squall glancing over to see a smug smirk on the man's face just before the doors behind him swished open.

The three of them immediately hurried inside, Zexion pausing for half a second to put away his equipment after the doors had closed behind them. They were in the darkened reception area of the office, a large, modern looking desk stretching across the other side of the room flanked by staircases and elevators. Squall let his eyes adjust to the lack of light, just barely able to see Riku as the hitman ran passed him towards the stairs, his gun drawn. Taking out his own weapon, Squall followed, making sure Zexion went ahead as Riku led them up the winding staircase.

Moving as quietly as possible, they quickly ascended four levels, their muffled footsteps echoing up through the stairwell as they winded around corner after corner. Unlike what Squall had expected, Zexion managed to keep pace, although his breath was coming a little heavier as they reached the fifth floor. The main building was separated from the stairwell by a thick door, "Dark City Organization" emblazoned across the front in silver lettering. Motioning for Squall and Riku to remain silent, Zexion stepped forward and pressed his ear to the door, undoubtedly listening for the footsteps of the guards they knew to be patrolling the hallways beyond. Gingerly reaching out, Zexion tested the door and found it predictably locked. However, the lock was controlled by another key card, and Zexion retrieved his gear back from his bag.

This lock seemed to be more complex because it took Zexion a few minutes, a few stifled curses escaping from beneath the man's hood as he worked. Glancing over at Riku, Squall knew that the other was becoming impatient, similar thoughts undoubtedly running through both of their minds. Although they hadn't yet been intercepted, Squall was sure that a place like this was filled with security cameras. They hadn't yet triggered any alarms but if the security monitors were being manned, it was likely that they would very soon be noticed, if they hadn't been already.

Finally a small _beep_ sounded from the key card lock and a sharp click came from the door, Zexion putting his tools away again with a small sigh, his voice low as he whispered, "That was more challenging than I had anticipated, far more advanced than the lock to gain entrance into the building…"

Riku frowned, reaching out for the door handle, "Well, we're in so that's all that matters." Testing it and finding that the handle indeed swung down, Squall and Zexion both moved to the side to allow Riku to pull the door open. He slowly eased it open just to the point where he could see through it, staring through the thin sliver of space into the Organization's office space. Apparently not seeing any of the guards, he gave a small signal and swung the door open fully, sweeping into the room like a shadow. Squall went second, his gun out in front of him as he quickly checked the adjacent halls, his heart pounding in his throat as they entered the new area. This was the worst: knowing that the enemy was nearby, knowing that they might be able to see you, but unable to tell where they were.

At this point, Zexion took the led, brushing by Riku and darting down the halls. Although his motions were not as concise as Squall's or Riku's it was clear that this was not his first break-in, the slight man heading directly towards their goal. The room they were looking for was where the Organization supposedly stored all of their clients' wealth, something like a bank's safe, and is was located near the center of a labyrinth-like network of offices and meeting rooms. Just as they rounded a corner, Zexion froze mid-step, Squall nearly running into his back. Zexion hardly seemed to notice, his eyes trained on the beam of a flashlight and the man holding the flashlight, a guard stationed in one of the many halls with his back to the three of them.

Squall's eyes narrowed, knowing that they had to get passed the man to reach their target. They could use a distraction, but the guard might alert some of his companions, so that was out of the question. Rolling his eyes, Riku stepped forward, his gun raised. Catching the movement out of the corner of his eyes, Zexion gave a sharp shake of his head. Even with a silencer, if Riku fired a shot of in this pressing silence it would surely attract the attention of more guards. His attention drawn back to the guard, Zexion paused then motioned for Squall and Riku to stay put.

Squall reached out to stop Zexion from creeping forward but Riku halted the action by grabbing his arm, forcing Squall to simply watch as Zexion slunk up toward the guard's turned back. What was Zexion planning on doing, going up to the guy and politely requesting that he step aside and remain silent? Zexion clearly had other plans. The only warning Squall had was the small glint of something slipping out of Zexion's sleeve before in a single movement the small man reached both hands up, using one hand to cover the guard's mouth as the other stretched out and smoothly drew the blade across the guard's throat with all the skills of a practiced surgeon. The guard, who had never even heard death approaching, fell limp, Zexion lowering him carefully to the floor to let him noiselessly bleed out with a cold expression.

Shocked, Squall was unable to move for a moment as Riku stepped forward, a grin on the other man's face as he walked over to observe Zexion's handiwork as the latter calmly cleaned the blood off of the weapon resting in his palm. Suddenly, Zexion's eyes darted up towards Squall's face and he finally forced his limbs to move, eyeing Zexion's weapon as he drew close enough to see it. It was a small blade made not of metal but obsidian, probably so as not to be discovered by metal detectors, the cut across the guard's throat so fine and clean that the blade must have been as sharp as a scalpel.

Squall's respect of Zexion's deadliness soared as the man pushed the knife back into the small sheath strapped to his forearm underneath his hooded coat before motioning for them to continue on now that the obstacle was out of their way. Stepping over the dying man, Squall refused to look down at his face, knowing all too well what he would see. Rounding another hall, Squall saw another flash of light a few yards away, glad for the oncoming guard when Zexion led them in the opposite direction until they came up to a different looking room. It looked nearly exactly like a bank vault, a large metal door with a keypad blocking their way to the treasure inside.

Riku and Squall both knew what their jobs were at this point, each standing in the hall on either side of the safe, guns outstretched before them, as Zexion knelt down in front of the keypad to hack his way inside the safe. The seconds seemed to take hours to pass by, Squall narrowing his eyes as he tried to ignore the pounding of his heart as he gazed out into the darkness. A flicker of a flashlight beam made his pulse race and he readjusted his grip on the grip of his gun, letting out a breath only when he saw the light disappear again.

A crackling buzz and flashes of light coming from behind him caught his attention and Squall glanced behind him to see that Zexion had already pulled the cover off of the key pad and seemed to be soldering something, the glow lighting up his face which was drawn up in a tight frown. Squall heard Riku shift down the hall, his heart speeding up as Riku whispered out, "Hurry it up, I think someone's coming our way." Zexion's frown deepened, his movements picking up speed as he worked with the intricate controls. Hearing trained on the action behind him, Squall caught what Riku must have heard, the sound of heavy footfalls apparently drawing closer. They hadn't discussed what they were going to do if they were interrupted in this stage of the game; they hadn't been counting on the high number of guards patrolling the place. They had already confirmed that there were at least four of them walking around, including the man they had brought down earlier, and they had barely traversed through a quarter of the office complex. Why would a business hire so much security? "Zexion…"

Body tense, Zexion snapped back, "Do what you must, I need more time."

The order came just in time, a beam of light suddenly illuminating all three of them as the guard Riku had focused in on came around the corner. Before the guard could let out a shout of alarm, Riku had fired off two shots, the noise shattering the deathly quiet of the office building as the guard let out a shout of pain and fell to the ground, his flashlight clattering across the ground as it dropped from his hand.

Almost instantly, every single light on the floor flashed on, Squall wincing as the sudden onslaught stung his eyes and blinded him. Zexion let out a stifled cuss word as Riku pulled the hood of his trenchcoat on to try and block some of the light. Shouts rung out from all directions, echoes creating such chaos that Squall hardly knew where to look as footsteps began to thunder towards them. Suddenly Riku let out a shout and Squall whipped around, "Shit! Guys, we have company!"

Abandoning his post, Squall ran over to Riku, joining him just as a small herd of guards appeared at the end of the hall, the two thieves not hesitating before unleashing a barrage of bullets into the crowd. The shots were quickly returned, Squall falling down into a crouch as he heard bullets whistle passed, some grazing his clothing before whizzing by. These men were good shots, and they were aiming to kill. They needed to leave, now.

Riku seemed to have the same impression, the young man spinning around and pulling Zexion to his feet even before he had time to pack up his tools. Covering their escape, Squall emptied his magazine towards the group of guards, if nothing else than to force them to take some cover and give them time for escape.

No longer caring about how much noise they made, they sprinted back towards the exit, Zexion just barely able to retrace their steps at the pace they were moving, the slim man letting out a shout as they ran down a hall only to find four more guards rushing towards them. Spotting the intruders, the guards immediately open fired, Riku taking one of them out before ducking around a corner to search for momentary refuge.

Squall grabbed a fresh magazine from his pocket as they ran, letting the old clip fall to the ground before snapping the new one into place, loading a cartridge into the chamber with a quick flip of the action. Now that they had ran off track, Zexion seemed to be searching solely for a place to hide, if only for a moment. As soon as they lost the guards behind them, Zexion darted into one of the office lining the halls, barely giving Riku and Squall time to get it before shutting the door behind them. A moment passed before they heard the guards run by and Zexion heaved a breath, "It does not make sense, they should not have so many men on guard at one time!"

Squall took up a position by the door so that they would be able to put up some sort of fight if one of the guards figured out their position. In this room they were like sitting-ducks, "Do you think they were tipped off?"

Walking up to the large desk sitting in the room, Riku picked up a framed photograph, his face falling into a serious expression, "I don't think so…but this was definitely a trap."

Zexion narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?" Riku raised a brow then tossed the frame to Zexion, the older man's eyes darkening as he gazed down at the picture, "Marluxia, what have you done…?"

Curious, Squall glanced over Zexion's shoulder down at the photograph to see a group of imposing looking men dressed in black business suits. "What is it?"

Riku nodded down to the picture, "This company, whatever it is they do here, it's not legal. See that guy in the middle?" Squall nodded in return, his eyes focusing on the tall man in the middle of the photo. He was obviously in charge, his golden eyes intense as they stared out from his tanned face, silver white hair hanging down passed his shoulders. "That's Xemnas, the most powerful crime boss in Dark City. If he's in that picture than he probably owns this place, meaning we just got ourselves into some deep shit trying to steal from him."

"Damn it!" Squall turned to look back at Zexion as the man let out a hiss, "Marluxia must have known about this! He must have—"

"Just admit it Zexion, Marluxia set us up!" Riku snarled, "He probably set us up last time too, except thanks to Leon here we managed to wiggle out of it! I told you this was funny, hell, even _Leon_ did, but you told me to trust the guy!"

"Enough." Zexion's face was stoic even though his voice had been shaking, "We will deal with this when we get out."

"You mean _if_ we get out…" Squall leaned up against the wall next to the door, "I hear footsteps coming, they must've—" His voice was cut off as the door to the office was kicked open, the barrel of a gun pointing straight between his eyes.

Ducking his head, Squall fired blindly but was so close to the man that it was impossible to miss, sending that guard flying back into another man as they swarmed around the hall outside the room. If they were connected to a crime boss, that would explain why there were so many guards and why they were so ruthless. There was no doubt in Squall's mind that if they were caught they would be executed before they were sent to the police.

The next few seconds were a blur, the sound of gunfire filling the air as he and Riku let off shot after shot, the guards returning in kind. One of the guards rushed forward into the room, apparently having run out of ammo as he raised his gun like a club. Seeing that he was aiming a blow for Zexion, Squall's instincts took over as he dove to the side to protect the smaller man, his mind leaving him as the butt of the gun slammed into his temple and sent him to the ground.

"_Leon!"_

_A voice screamed his name as blood filled his mouth, his ears still ringing from the head blow, his helmet dented in the front from where it had hit the concrete wall. The sound of an automatic rifle split the air from somewhere above him before he felt a rough hand grab his shoulder and pull him up. _

"_Leon!"_

"Leon! Get up!"

Squall blinked his eyes open, coughing as the taste of blood continued to fill his mouth. His fuzzy vision refocused to see Zexion crouching in front of him, Riku standing over both of them with a small trail of smoke curling from the barrel of his gun. "What happened…?"

Zexion grabbed some tissues from on top of the desk and pressed them to Leon's face as Riku answered, "You got pistol-whipped across the face."

Reaching up, Squall cautiously felt his forehead as a shock of pain ran through him. There was blood running down nearly half his face. Perhaps seeing some worry in his eyes, Zexion sat up, "The wound on your brow is only superficial and has already begun to clot. Most of the blood is coming from your nose. However, it does not seem to be broken so you should be fine in moments."

Letting out a small grunt, Squall pushed himself up and grabbed his gun that had dropped from his hands in his fall. Turning, he eyed the pile of bodies of guards lining the doorway. Seeing what he was looking at, Riku let out a pleased grin, "A pretty sight, isn't it?"

Squall shook his head and staggered to his feet, taking a moment before deciding that he would indeed be alright despite the pain. If Riku wasn't so skilled, they would all probably be dead right now instead of the guards. Seeing that he wasn't going to topple back over, Zexion peered out into the hall, "There are certainly more guards heading this way…" As if on cue, they heard more footsteps approaching, "We will go back to the stairwell, follow me."

Not about to argue, Squall and Riku ran after Zexion as he took off, jumping over the bodies to get into the hall. Zexion seemed to have a mental map of the building as he led them through the winding corridors, their steps sped up by the constant echo of footsteps hot on their tail. Finally spotting the door to the stairs, they pushed themselves into a sprint, practically throwing themselves into the stairwell before slamming the door behind them.

Spinning around, Zexion smashed the controls that locked the door to buy them a little more time. About to head down the stairs, all three froze, the same sound reaching their ears. There were more people coming up the stairs from the lower levels. Running over to the railing, Riku leaned over Squall's fears confirmed as he quickly pulled back, "We should get to the roof."

Squall and Zexion didn't even bother to respond, Squall taking the lead as they dashed up the stairs. Squall didn't count the number of floors, just focused on taking one stair at a time without tripping. He could hear Zexion panting behind him and hoped that he would be able to hold out. Even he was getting tired.

Making it to the top of the stairs, Squall ran over to the door leading to the roof, scowling as he found it to be locked. Realizing the situation they were in even as he was doubled over to catch his breath, Zexion gave a weak wave, "We, do not have the time to work the lock. We will have to break it open if we want to escape."

"Understood." This door seemed weaker than the others, so it might actually be possible. Backing up, Squall rammed the door with his shoulder, grunting as the metal bent under the blow. Another try brought the door down, the metal screeching as it was ripped off of its hinges. Squall caught himself before he could fall as he stumbled out into the night air, the glow from the TV screen mounted on top of the building lighting the area up in a sickly blue-green glow.

Zexion ran over to the edge of the roof at the front of the building and looked down to concrete pavement nearly a hundred feet below. Joining him, Riku and Squall looked over the edge, Riku glancing over at Zexion after a moment, "Good thing you brought the climbing gear, huh?"

"Precisely why I did so."

Looking back over his shoulder at the door leading back to the stairs, Squall quickly began to set up his rappel gear, Riku and Zexion catching on and beginning to do the same. Glancing over to make sure that they were all anchored well enough, Squall tugged on his rope to make sure that it was hold his weight before stepping out over the waist-high barrier and onto a small ledge beyond.

The wind began to whip at Squall's clothing, no longer blocked by a concrete floor, as he leaned back, taking his first step down the wall. Riku appeared on the top of the wall next, the young man tugging at the place where the rope connected with the harness as if suspecting its ability to hold. Seeing Squall already making his way down the outer wall seemed to strengthen his resolve because the next moment Riku was copying the SeeD's movements, cautiously leaning out and beginning to make his way down. Finally, Zexion climbed over the edge, hesitant in his movements as he slowly and shakily began to lower himself into a climbing position.

Seeing that he was having trouble, Squall called up to him, "Take it easy Zexion. Just go slow." He saw Zexion nod and realized just how uncomfortable the other man was with the situation. Pausing in his climb, Squall looked up, "Take small steps until you get some length of rope between you and the top. Then grab the rope in front of you with your right hand to act as a brake." Noticing that Riku had paused as well to follow his directions, Squall waited until Zexion was ready, "Then let go with your right hand just enough to let yourself slide down. Push off with your feet to get a little more distance as you go."

Now a little more confident, Zexion began to move at a faster pace, Riku soon catching up with Squall as they descended down the side of the building. Hearing voices echoing out from the rooftop, Squall realized that the guards from the stairwell must have reached the top. It sounded like they couldn't figure out where the thieves had gone. Looking down, Squall just barely avoided landing on a glass window as they tried to pick up their pace moving down the front of the building.

Unfortunately, the guards weren't as stupid as Squall had been hoping. Too soon, he heard a shout and caught sight of a head poking out over the barrier quickly followed by a gun. Clenching his teeth as the guards began to fire down, Squall realized that they were open targets. With no cover and no ability to fire back since they needed both hands to climb, their constant movement the only thing keeping them alive. Letting out more line at a time to speed his descent, Squall tried to swallow the lump in his throat, his eyes stuck on his partners as they struggled to control their climb under fire, Zexion letting out a small cry as a bullet grazed his side.

Suddenly the guards seemed to gain a moment of clarity, the bullets redirected at a new target: the ropes. Swearing, Squall looked down; they were still a good three stories from the ground. Jerking his head up, Squall felt his heart stop as a sharp snap filled his ears just milliseconds before he heard Riku let out a shout, Squall turning his head just in time to see a flash of silver rush passed as Riku hurtled toward the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey all! I apologize for the lag; life's been crazy this week, what with school, homework, a part-time job, and studying for one of those lovely life-deciding tests one must occasionally take, I'm a bit worn down. I honestly didn't mean to leave you hanging at a (as someone pointed out, a literal) cliffhanger. However, I managed to get this chapter done, which is an accomplishment I am proud of. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it!

Firstly though, much thanks must go out to LoneBoy7, flammula, Composer Gizmo-chan, Shinimegami7, b4k4 ch4n, Stellar Eclipse, DeNiSaY60, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel, A-chan, infinityinmirrors, Caithdean, Arid Tundra, andhearts, Aindel S. Druida, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Emerald Moonrose, Bane-Dane, Night's Mirth, , FlurryDivider, krad, Velvet Chaos, ooXloveXoo582, Dragi, and MadeInHolland! You guys can keep me going through my most trying times! ^^

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Chapter 8

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Not allowing himself time to actually think through his actions, Squall lunged forward, one hand just barely wrapping around the end of the piece of rope attached to Riku's harness. A sharp jerk shot through Squall's arm as he found himself falling as well as his other hand was torn away from his own rope. Desperately tangling his legs up in the line to keep himself from tumbling to the concrete below, Squall grimaced as it was pulled tighter than a tourniquet.

Panting for breath, he looked down at Riku and he saw actual fear shoot through the man's teal eyes. He thought they were both going to die. Steeling his resolve, Squall reached back with his free hand and once again grabbed hold of his climbing rope, breathing a small sigh as some of the pressure was taken off his legs. However, holding up all of Riku's weight with only his other hand was quickly becoming too much for him to bear, his skin beginning to sweat inside the leather glove.

Bullets continued to rain down on them throughout it all and Squall knew that one way or another they'd have to get to the ground as soon as possible. Zexion had continued on, though his eyes had never left his two comrades, and had now descended nearly to their position on the side of the building. Nodding for the man to keep moving, Squall grit his teeth as he struggled to hang on to both Riku and the rope. With only one hand to use, he wasn't going to be able to climb down so much as control their fall.

Squall heaved a shaky breath before loosening his grip holding the line just slightly, allowing the rope to slide through his fingers and using his knees to help hold on. The heat from the friction was intense, a blistering heat already beginning to pulse through the thick leather of his glove as the fibers of the rope scraped through. Wincing as a bullet ricocheted off of the concrete side of the skyscraper, Riku could only watch from below, unable to reach any sort of handhold, suspended a good four feet from the side of the building. Squall silently urged that the hitman not try to swing himself over. Any sort of pulling could knock him off balance and send them both somersaulting towards the ground.

Another sharp snap rent the air and Squall sucked in his breath, preparing himself for a fall. But it never came; instead, a loud shout split the air, Squall unable to help this time as Zexion plummeted to the earth, Squall looking away as he hit the ground with a sharp cry.

"Zex!" Riku winced, shouting over the continuing gunfire, "Zexion!" He let out a shout as Squall let out more of the rope, lowering them another few feet. "Zexion, are you okay?"

Squall focused on his task, every single one of his muscles screaming at him to just let go, and nearly had Riku on the ground when the silver haired man let out a sigh of relief. Glancing down, Squall saw that Zexion was stirring, his face contorted with pain, and gained a small burst of energy. Zexion had fallen about two floors, he could have easily split his head open if he had landed wrong. Allowing more line to burn through his fingers, Squall kept in a grimace of pain, releasing a huge breath as he heard Riku's boots hit the ground.

Releasing Riku's line, Squall didn't even bother keeping his grip on his own rope and let himself drop the remaining six feet onto the concrete ground in a crouch. Riku had moved out of the way as soon as he was released and had hurried over to where Zexion was still lying.

Squall unhitched his harness before wincing and pulling off his gloves, hissing at the red, raw skin on his palms. He heard Riku muttering to Zexion, receiving small moans in response. At least he was able to speak. That was good news…Pausing, Squall glanced over at them. That's funny; he could hear them from across the front of the building even though his ears were still ringing from all the noise…Noise. Looking up, Squall suddenly realized that the bullets had stopped. Which probably meant that the guards weren't on the roof anymore. They were coming down to finish the job.

Pushing himself to his feet, despite everything in him telling him to just stay on the ground, Squall ran over to Riku and Zexion, "We need to leave."

Riku shot him a dark look from where he was leaning over Zexion who was still lying on the ground, "We're not going anywhere fast, take a look."

Squall glanced down, only to look quickly back up again. Zexion had clearly broken his leg in his fall, his fibula if Squall had to wager a guess. Either way, he wasn't going to be able to run any time soon, "Is his back broken?"

Riku shook his head but Zexion managed to answer back, his voice shaking, "N-no, my back is fine…Agh, I, just leave me if you must—"

"Don't be stupid Zex." Riku stood up, wincing as he rolled his shoulders, "Gods, I think my neck got messed up when I fell and the rope snapped."

Stepping forward, Squall shook his head, "We don't have time for this. Those guards are coming down to get us, we need to leave now. Riku, get on Zexion's other side."

"Hold on a minute, Leon." Riku did as Squall said and walked around to stand on Zexion's opposite side, "How do you know they didn't just give up?"

Squall looked over his shoulder, his worst fears confirmed as he was just able to make out figures storming down the stairs from inside the building, "Because they're coming." Bending down, Squall grabbed onto Zexion's arm and, despite the man's protests, hauled his to his feet while taking care to support him enough so that as little weight as possible was on his bad leg. Riku immediately got the gist of the plan and he and Squall both pulled one of Zexion's arms over their shoulders, acting as human crutches to allow Zexion to limp away.

"We need to disappear Riku."

"Got it. You're gonna need to hustle Zex, so just hang on, alright?" Sweat was pouring down Zexion's face but he gave a weak nod all the same, not wanting to be left behind. Hearing the guards at the doors, Squall and Riku half-walked, half-carried Zexion down the stairs, moving as quickly as they could towards the protective darkness of the surrounding buildings and alleyways.

They heard shouts and footsteps as a whole herd of guards thundered through the skyscraper's entrance and down the steps, the three thieves just barely managing to slink under the shadows. Knowing they weren't quite out of the woods yet, Squall allowed Riku to lead, the man hurrying them through a maze of twists and turns as they heard the guards scatter into the city to try and flush them out.

Riku seemed to know where he was going, the man not even glancing up at the street signs as they continued to run, Squall feeling Zexion begin to tremble in their hold. He also seemed to know which streets were likely to be deserted because they didn't see a soul, Squall loosing all sense of direction and time. Finally, it was clear that they needed to take a break, all three men gasping for breath.

Leaning up against the wall, Squall helped to lower Zexion to the ground before collapsing down beside him. "Riku, where, where are we?"

Riku nodded as he put his hands on his hips, his chest heaving as he tried to get air back into his lungs, "The train station's just a few blocks down."

"We can't take the train like this."

"Yeah…"Shaking his head, Riku pulled his gloves off before reaching into the small bag he had hung onto throughout the night and pulling out a handkerchief. Throwing it to Squall, Riku shoved the gloves into the bag, "Clean up your face. No one's going to let you on looking like that. And Zex, you're just going to have to suck it up for a little."

Zexion sent him a piercing glare in return, the look somewhat thrown off by the slightly glassy look in his eyes, "…I do not deal with pain well."

"I know, you have the lowest pain tolerance of any human being on earth but we need to get you back."

Squall glanced over at the wounded man as he scrubbed the dried blood from his face, "He needs to get to a hospital."

"Just take me home…"

"Zexion—"

"I said take me home!"

"Alright! Keep it down will you…" Sighing, Riku rubbed the back of his neck, his muscles clearly still bothering him, "Now that you don't look at a zombie anymore, let's get to the train station. Zexion, just, pretend like you're drunk or something."

Zexion couldn't even muster up the strength to roll his eyes as Squall staggered back up to his feet, he and Riku moving back to their old positions, each taking up one of Zexion's arms again.

By some miracle they made it to the train station without being questioned. Perhaps it was because everyone actually did mistake Zexion's sweat streaked face and inability to walk as extreme drunkenness. Whatever it was, Squall didn't bother to think on it too hard. He just focused on taking one step after the other. He let Riku do the talking and buy them their tickets, not even looking around as they shuffled Zexion onto the train. Moving down into a relatively unpopulated car, they dropped down into three seats, finally able to breathe knowing that they had momentarily escaped the Organization's reach.

Squall would have considered sleeping over the long ride back to Traverse if not for the fact that Zexion was in agonizing pain beside him. It seemed as if it was taking everything the man had not to cry out although his shaking had started again. He seemed to be going in and out of shock. Squall knew that they had to get him to a hospital, but they were only going to get Zexion there if he was willing to go.

Riku just stared out the window, outwardly unbothered as Zexion's knuckles turned white as he gripped his seat. Squall too kept a stoic exterior, all the while keeping watch on Zexion out of the corner of his eye. It would be a messy ordeal if Zexion were to fall completely unconscious; although their car was empty, there were still passengers on the train that would see them carry him off.

As it was, by the time they reached Traverse Town, Zexion was nearly nonresponsive and, if his expression was anything to go by, Riku's neck was continuing to bother him. Leading Zexion off the train was a bit of a challenge but they managed, Squall glancing around as they stepped off onto the darkened platform.

"What now?"

Riku huffed as he pulled Zexion's arm into a better position over his shoulders, "We should get him home; trust me, we're not going to be able to convince him to go to the hospital by ourselves…"

"How's bringing him home going to change that?"

"You'll see…I don't suppose you drove to the station?"

Squall shook his head, not liking where this was going, "I took my bike."

"How many people do you figure can squeeze onto that thing?"

Rolling his eyes, Squall started forward towards the parking lot, "Well if you don't mind letting Zexion sit on your lap, the bike should do fine under the weight."

Riku heaved a sigh, "The things I do for this guy…"

The neon lights of Traverse seemed so much softer than their Dark City counterparts as they made their way out of the train station, the town's streets abandoned at the late hour. Reaching his motorcycle, Squall dug his keys out and got on, trying to leave enough room behind him for Riku to slide on. The two of them somehow managed to wrestle Zexion on in between them so that he was riding side-saddle across Riku's lap. The man's eyes had flickered open during all the movement, a hint of annoyance somehow managing to shine through the glazed-over pain. Catching the look, Riku shot Zexion a glare back, "Hey, don't complain alright? Or we'll leave your ass here at the station for a cop to find tomorrow morning."

"…shut u-up…just—"

"I know, I know, '_take me home_', we get it. We're going, you pansy."

Squall glanced back over his shoulder at the two as he revved the engine to life, "You know how to get there?"

"Yeah, head into the Third District."

Trying to keep relatively quiet on the way there so as to not attract any unwanted attention, Squall quickly drove them through town, glancing up only once as they flew through the Second District to try and catch a glimpse of his own house. The flash of a window he caught sight of was lit up; Sora had probably left the lights on for him again.

After cutting into the Third District, Riku directed Squall towards a modest looking apartment complex nearly directly across the central courtyard from the vacant house that served as their headquarters. It was so like Zexion to live in a place that allowed him to keep an eye on things 24/7. Hearing that Zexion in fact lived on the third floor, Squall gave up any pretentions of being able to support the injured man up all of those flights of stairs. Picking Zexion up bridal style, despite his weak protests, Squall motioned for Riku to lead the way up the metal staircase.

Climbing up to the third story, Riku continued down an exterior corridor, passing a number of doors before finally stopping at number 306, light blue paint peeling a little at the edges of the metal plaque emblazoned with the room number. It was only when Riku gave a firm knock that Squall realized that there was a possibility that Zexion had a roommate. Hadn't Riku let slip that Zexion was in fact seeing someone a few weeks ago? Did they know about everything that Zexion was up to? Otherwise, how were he and Riku possibly going to explain Zexion's current condition?

His thoughts were cut short as he heard footsteps approaching from the other side, the door opening to reveal the last sort of person Squall had expected to see, making him think for a few moments that Riku must have gotten the address wrong. It was a young man, probably around his age, dressed in torn jeans and an old band t-shirt, a few earring decorating his ears underneath what must have been the world's strangest hairstyle, some sort of odd hybrid between a mullet and a mohawk. Squall was immediately proven wrong though as the man's sea-blue eyes widened in shock, a cry escaping his lips as his eyes zeroed in on the man in Squall's arms, "_Oh my god, _Ienzo! What happened?!"

Riku let out a breath, "Calm down Demyx. I'll explain inside."

The man, Demyx, stared at Riku as if noticing he was there for the first time, his eyes flying back to Zexion before he finally nodded, stepping aside to allow them in. Squall stepped in to find himself inside a surprisingly normal living room, set up with a couch, TV, and a guitar propped up against the wall in the corner as if Demyx had just set it down. Pushing a stack of papers onto the floor, Demyx cleared a space on the couch long enough for Squall to lay Zexion down, Demyx's face paling several shades as he noticed Zexion's leg, "What happened to him?!"

"There was an accident at work. We tried to get him to go to the hospital but, you know how he is…"

Crouching down beside the couch, Demyx pushed Zexion's bangs out of his face causing the other man to open his eyes again, "Ienzo! What did you do to yourself?"

As his vision focused on Demyx, the pained expression that had twisted up Zexion's face for the last few hours was momentarily replaced by a soft look Squall hadn't thought Zexion capable of making, "…you say that as if you think I, I meant for it to happen…"

Demyx sucked in a breath, tears beginning to well up in his eyes, "You, you're, you're such a dumbass! You weren't even supposed to go out today, we're supposed to spend weekends together, but no, you had to go out and get yourself hurt!"

The snarky reply Squall had been expecting never came, Zexion instead letting out a small grimace, "…I apologize…"

Shaking his head, Demyx pushed himself to his feet, a few tears escaping as he stood, his voice shaky but firm, "I'm calling an ambulance, you're going to the hospital!"

Zexion tried, and failed, to push himself up onto his elbows at the news, twisting his head to watch as Demyx marched over to grab a cell phone sitting on a side table, "…Wait. Dem, it is imperative that you not contact—"

"Shut up Ienzo! This is for your own good!"

Riku's eyebrows rose, a grin slipping onto his lips as he murmured to Squall, "Ooh, he's mad."

Overhearing the comment, Demyx threw a teary-eyed glare back at the two of them who had remained standing near the door as he picked up his cell phone, "You too! You should have taken Ienzo to the hospital right away, Riku and…whoever you are."

Squall frowned, "Leon."

"Right, you too, Leon." Dialing quickly, Demyx pulled the phone up to his ear, turning his back to the three as his call was transferred to the emergency operator.

Glancing back, Squall looked back at Riku, "So I'm guessing that he's not always so forceful?"

"That's the understatement of the year. He's usually the most easygoing guy around."

"Does he know about—our job?"

Riku shook his head, his arms crossing at he looked back at Zexion who had buried his face into the arm of the couch as if trying to suffocate himself, "Not really. I'm pretty sure even he's figured out that it's not exactly legal but it doesn't seem to bug him. For whatever reason, he apparently likes Zexion too much to care. Although, honestly, I don't know what he sees in him."

Squall glanced back at Demyx again as the man gave the operator his street address, "What does he do?"

"He works at a music store during the day and plays in a band most weeknights but gets weekends and Mondays off. Why do you think Zex doesn't have us work those nights?"

"Figures…" Squall eyed the silver-haired man for a moment as a wince slipped across his face, "You know, when Zexion goes to the hospital, you might want to think about going too if your neck's still bothering you."

Riku frowned, a hand automatically moving to massage the back of his neck, "Maybe…I wonder if that receptionist is on duty; she probably wouldn't be suspicious when I forge the paperwork."

Riku was cut off as Demyx spun back around, clearly finished with his call as he snapped his flip phone shut, "There! They'll be here soon." The man's shoulders sagged as he looked down at Zexion, padding over to kneel down to the side of the couch so that his nose was nearly touching Zexion's forehead, "Hey, don't be mad, okay? This, this is all I can do to help, you know?"

Heaving a sigh into the fabric of the couch, Zexion finally lifted his head up, his expression made of equal parts pain and exasperation, "Demyx…you are going to be the death of me."

A small grin tugged at the corner of Demyx's mouth, "And yet you can't stay away, huh?"

"…What a pathetic thing love is…"

Demyx's smile widened just a bit and leaned forward to press a kiss against Zexion's forehead. Averting his eyes, Squall spent a moment examining the carpet. Your basic brown, probably came with the apartment. Riku, however, had no problem with interrupting and noisily cleared his throat, "Hey _Ienzo_, we're still here, remember?"

Zexion froze as Demyx pulled away and stood up with a sheepish grin, "Oops. Forgot about you guys for a minute…"

"Yeah, I figured."

* * *

Eyeing the tower in front of them, Cloud chugged the remainder of his coffee, tossing the empty Styrofoam cup into a trashcan on the way inside. Pushing through the glass doors, Axel pulled off his sunglasses and gave a light whistle, "Nice place. The M.O.'s totally off though. They sure these were our guys?"

Cloud nodded and reached in to the inside pocket of his suit jacket to pull out the memo that had been left on their desk that morning, "Says here that about five guys actually got a look at them this time. Leonhart definitely matches the description of the third thief."

"Awesome. Hey, look who it is…" Axel's voice trailed off as they caught sight of a man walking down the stairs, the tall blond looking casually sophisticated as always. Exchanging a look, Cloud and Axel walked forward to meet him in front of the elevators. Detective Luxord Downes was a member of the Dark City Police Department and was their general contact in the DCPD. However, it was a relatively well known fact throughout law enforcement that the man was being paid off by the Organization. It wasn't any big discovery though; nearly all of the DCPD was on the Organization's payroll. All in all, Detective Downes was usually good-natured and cooperative, and was a damn good detective besides when he cared to be.

"Ah, Detective Strife, Detective Flynn; how was the drive from quaint Twilight Town?"

Letting out a sigh, Cloud gave a tight smile back. A reason he and Axel didn't get along too well with Luxord was the man was constantly acting like they were a pair of country hicks. Honestly, Cloud had grown up in Midgar, a city just as big as Dark City. And Axel—well, he actually seemed to be more accustomed to bustling urban centers than Twilight Town's suburban neighborhoods. "The drive was fine, if you don't count the whole having to leave the office at six in the morning thing. What's the situation?"

"The situation, my good fellows, happens to be that a massacre occurred in one of my buildings and the blame for it belongs to miscreants spilling over from your territory."

Axel shrugged, "Hey man, they're just as much your problem as ours. Take us to the damage."

"Very well. Let's take the lift; I've had my fill of stairs for today…" Cloud and Axel followed the man as he led them into an awaiting elevator, waiting for more information as the man pushed the button for floor 5. "I'd rather just skip the formalities, if that's alright with you gentlemen."

"That's fine." Giving the man a grin, Axel leaned against the elevator wall as they began to ascend, "It's way too early for rules anyway. Just tell us what's up."

Luxord raised a brow before his expression sobered a bit, "'What's up' is that six men are dead, apparently in an effort to try and stop a robbery in progress. Now, I won't even bother pretending that this has nothing to do with the Organization, but I'll warn the both of you to simply focus on the case at hand and not stick your noses out too far into places they don't belong. Your criminals seem to have been unaware of the nature of this establishment and are undoubtedly going to have a rather hard time because of it. However, I will say that they must be every bit as skilled as you claimed over the phone, to have been able to escape with their lives, if only for a short while."

Cloud started as the elevator gave a sharp _bing_ as they reached their floor, having focused all his attention on Luxord's words. As the platinum blonde detective led Cloud and Axel out of the elevator and through a series of halls, it started to become clear that Leonhart and the others had gotten in way too deep.

Bullet holes littered the walls, blood spatter occasionally flung across the walls clearly indicating when a bullet had landed in human tissue instead of plaster. Dark City Crime Scene Investigators were everywhere, tagging everything and anything that could be considered evidence, a coroner pushing his way through between Cloud and Axel to hurry ahead. As they rounded the corner, Cloud understood his rush. Ahead of them was one of the most brutal crime scenes Cloud had ever seen in his career. The bodies of six guards, guessing from their uniforms, were strewn on top of a puddle of blood, a clear indication that they had bled out before any help could be brought in by survivors. They were oddly positioned around one office door that was wide-open, four different CSIs crammed into the tight space to work.

"What happened?"

Pulling out a notebook from his pocket, Luxord flipped through a few pages before clearing his throat, "Let's see here. From the initial investigation, it is appearing that the guards and the thieves had a bit of a standoff at this location, the thieves managing to gun down the guards and make their escape before reinforcements could arrive."

Axel frowned incredulously, "Let me get this straight. Those six guards cornered three guys in a dead-end and all six of them managed to get themselves killed while not even injuring one of the three? Seems a little farfetched."

"I never said that the thieves were uninjured."

Cloud's eyes narrowed, praying that Luxord meant what he thought he meant, "How do you know they were?"

"We found blood spatter inside the office as well. Although not in such large quantities, at least one of the thieves seemed to have sustained some sort of damage, although he was still able to escape by climbing down the outside of the tower from the roof, so he couldn't have been that incapacitated, now could he?"

Blinking, Cloud tried to focus on the blood first, "I hope you collected a sample of the blood for DNA analysis?"

"Of course. We'll enter it in to the national database within the week--"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Waving his hands, Axel broke into their conversation, "Go back a minute. Did you say escape by climbing down the outside of the building?"

Luxord gave a stiff nod, "So it would seem. The second wave of guards apparently caught up with them and shot out two of their ropes but by that time they were already close enough to the pavement to be able to escape before the guards were able to get down to the main floor. The guards suspect that at least one of them had an intimate knowledge of the City, because they were somehow able to avoid being seen. It is possible that they are still somewhere in Dark City, but I suspect that our perpetrators managed to slip out before we were able to get any checkpoints set up. They've played the game quite well."

Cloud's frown didn't fade, "You almost seem to be enjoying this."

"I enjoy the challenge. Of course, this means that it will be up to you to try and find them before I do."

"This isn't a game. They're criminals who need to be stopped. Their crimes are beginning to escalate and they're probably getting desperate since their last two known strikes have been botched."

"Ah, Cloud. Everything is a game. And to the victor go the spoils. Which, I suppose in this case would be fame for capturing some of the most daring criminals of our generation. It would sound nice on a resume, don't you agree?"

OoOoOo

The ride back into Twilight Town was silent except for Axel's occasional outburst about certain DCPD detectives, Cloud allowing the redhead to rant as they drove down the highway. After their short conversation, Cloud and Axel had both conducted a personal investigation of the scene and found it to be very much as Luxord had said. They even went up to the roof to check out the pieces of rope still hanging off the edges of the building.

It was nearing late afternoon when they got back to the station, Roxas sitting up at his desk as they walked in, "So, how was it?"

"Aw, was my little Roxy bored without me here to keep him company?"

"Well, it was a lot quieter, but I don't know if that's a bad thing…" Turning to his older brother, Roxas leaned forward to dig through Cloud's front pocket, victoriously extracting the notebook he knew would be there. "Ah-hah!"

"Hey! Does confidentiality mean anything to you?"

Shooting him a grin, Roxas flipped open the notebook to skim through Cloud's scrawl, "Who do you think keeps track of all your stuff while you two run off to the City? Me. Therefore, I get to snoop." Flipping another page, Roxas made a face, "Gods Cloud, your handwriting sucks. I mean, not as bad as Axel's but still…you should consider a penmanship class, seriously."

"Only after you take a course on manners." Snatching his notebook back, Cloud tucked it under his arm.

Roxas grin floundered, "What's wrong with you? Did something come up?"

"Yeah, Luxord did." Axel waved for Roxas to follow him back into their office, Cloud bringing up the rear and closing the door behind them. Sitting down at his desk, Axel reached over to boot up his computer, "Apparently Detective Downes has caught whiff of our case and wants a piece of it. Actually, the guy wants all of it, thinks he can bring the perps in before we can."

"Huh. How was the crime scene?"

Cloud sat down at his own desk, "You don't seem to be taking Luxord seriously."

"I just know how much you already know about Leonhart and everything, there's no way he'd be able to catch up. Now tell me about the crime scene! I'm always stuck here, I don't get to do anything cool, so the least you can do is tell me about it!"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Cloud let out a sigh. He really wasn't legally supposed to be discussing the details of the case to anyone except for Axel but he knew Roxas wasn't going to spill information to the media or anything. "It looks like our guys were caught in the middle of a robbery and had to fight their way out of the building to escape. We even might have gotten a blood sample out of the deal too."

"That's awesome." Roxas's excited face fell after a moment, "Do you have anything to compare it against?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, it won't do you any good if you don't have a DNA sample to compare it to, right?"

Cloud fell silent and Axel couldn't help but laugh, "Well, looks like we forgot a step, huh?"

"Dammit…" Resting his chin on his hand, Cloud leaned over his desk, "I don't think any of them have DNA entered into the system, and we only know where to find Leonhart. 'Riku' and 'Zexion' are out of the question…"

Straightening up in his chair, Axel leaned forward, "Hey…wasn't Luxord saying that one or two of them were injured?"

"Yeah, but we only have one blood sample."

"I know. But if they're injured, they're going to need medical attention, right?"

Catching on, Cloud nodded, rolling his chair over so that he could look onto Axel's screen as the redhead's fingers began to fly over the keyboard and he began to enter in data, "We could send out a notice to all the hospitals and doctor's offices in town. Send them through Dark City and Traverse Town as well, since we don't know where they ended up."

"Already on it. If these guys show up or visited within the last twenty-four hours, we'll know about it soon."

"Good. Hopefully when Luxord publishes his report we'll have a more precise idea about what sort of injuries they sustained, but a general sweep will have to do for now. In the meantime, I'll see what I can do about getting a DNA sample from Leonhart. I'm sure the boys up at processing managed to get his home address off of his identification…"

Axel paused in his work to give Cloud an oddly smug look, "Aw, you miss him already?"

"Don't even go there. I just want to jump start this before Luxord gets a lead."

As Axel shrugged as if unconvinced, Roxas leaned over on top of Cloud's desk, "How are you going to get a sample? He seems like a pretty smart guy, I don't think he'll just spit into a cup for you."

"…I'll try to think of something."

* * *

Flicking the bathroom lights on, Squall leaned heavily against the tiled counter. Reaching up to push his bangs out of his face, a gash was revealed cutting across his forehead, the skin around it beginning to bruise after a few hours. A heavy sigh escaped him; he had had worse, but Sora was bound to ask questions. As soon as he had gotten home he had cleaned off the rest of the blood, drenched it in antiseptic, taken a pain killer and collapsed into bed. When he had woken up, Sora had already left for school, leaving a note for his older brother to find on the refrigerator.

Crawling into the shower, Squall took the hottest shower his skin could stand to try and get his muscles to relax. He had been unbelievably tense all night; the only reason he had been able to sleep was the fact that he was just so worn out.

Squall emerged from the shower a little more refreshed, resisting the urge to fall back onto his bed as he went back into his bedroom to change. Just as he had finished towel drying his hair a loud knocking echoed out from the front room. Frowning, Squall dropped his towel onto the bed, combing his fingers through his hair to try and brush out the tangles as he stalked towards the living room, grabbing his pistol off of his bedside table as he walked out. He wasn't expecting company, and after what had happened last night he wasn't going to take any chances.

Holding the gun behind his back, he peered out through the peephole in the front door. The first thing that caught his eye was a shock of golden blond hair and a flash of blue before Squall connected the face to a person. It was that detective from Twilight Town. Rolling his eyes, Squall opened the door, slipping his handgun under his belt as he spoke up, "Detective Strife, how did you get this address?"

Detective Strife's eyes immediately focused on the firearm, "Expecting someone else?"

"What are you here for?"

"I assume you have a permit for that."

Squall leaned up against the doorframe, "I do. It's SeeD issue. Now, answer my question."

The detective's eyes flickered back up to meet his and, as always, Squall couldn't help but be shocked at the color, "Just to talk."

"About what?"

"I think you know, Leonhart."

"Do I need a lawyer?"

Cloud shrugged, "I don't see why, we're just talking."

Narrowing his eyes, Squall eyed the man in front of him. He didn't seem to be too much of a threat. "What would possibly be in it for me?"

"Free coffee? I'll even buy you lunch if you want."

"What is this, a date or an interrogation?" Detective Strife scoffed, the sound bringing a small smirk to Squall's lips, "Coffee's fine. But don't expect anything from me."

"We'll see. Are you free to leave now?"

Squall glanced around, smirking again as he noticed his gun was still tucked into his belt, "Let me go put some things away. Stay here."

The detective gave a nod and Squall disappeared back into his bedroom. Dropping off his weapon, he grabbed his wallet and keys and hurried back to the door, not comfortable leaving Detective Strife waiting at his open door.

"Ready?"

"Let's go."

The detective watched as Squall locked the front door on his way out, the two walking side by side as they stepped out onto the street. They fell into silence for a few minutes before Detective Strife looked around the city, "Do you know a good coffee house?"

Frowning at the small talk, Squall gave a small grunt, "There's a place around the corner that's pretty decent…prices are reasonable anyway."

He felt the officer's eyes on him but didn't glance over. He didn't know what the other was looking for but he certainly wasn't going to give anything away.

Reaching the small café, Squall took a seat at a small metal table set out on a patio as the detective went in to put in their orders. Squall's order: black, no cream, no sugar. After being in SeeD, he was fine with anything that didn't taste like used dish water. A few minutes passed before Detective Strife returned, a cup in each hand. Setting one of them in front of Squall, he took a seat across from the soldier.

Taking a sip, Squall set it back down on the tabletop to cool. "Alright, let's just get down to business. What exactly are you here to talk about?"

Detective Strife raised his eyebrows, Squall watching the man's face closely as he took a moment to collect his thoughts, "Alright…I'm here, to give you another chance to cooperate with the law. If you cut a deal, you still might be able to get out with only six months in prison."

Giving the timing, it was pretty obvious that the Twilight Town PD had already been filled in about their burglary attempt in Dark City. It didn't seem like they had much though. Otherwise, Detective Strife would be arresting him right now. "Thanks, but I'm still not interested."

The officer's expression didn't change; apparently he had been expected to decline the offer, "Suit yourself." Setting his coffee cup down, Detective Strife reached into his jacket, pulling out a small leather bound notebook, "How about you tell me where you were last night instead?"

Raising an eyebrow, Squall shrugged. He had seen the question coming a mile away, "I was at home, asleep."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"I got home after my brother fell asleep and I don't sleep with anyone so, I guess not."

The detective's eyes flickered up and Squall kept his expression steady. He knew he was treading a fine line and would have to watch what he said but, besides that, he was almost beginning to enjoy this little cat and mouse game Detective Strife was setting up. "Not a very tight alibi."

"Next time I'll have to make up a better one then."

"Are you incriminating yourself?"

"No. Just responding to your remark."

Detective Strife frowned, his lips pursing into a line before he nodded towards Squall, "Are you going to tell me what happened to your forehead?"

"An accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"The type where you injure yourself."

"What'd you do? Fall, get hit by something, smack yourself in the head while opening the fridge door?"

Squall nearly choked on the sip of coffee he had just taken, hiding his laugh in a cough. He wasn't sure if the other man was trying to lighten the situation or play to his pride to try and make him let something slip, but he had a feeling the latter option was the most likely. Clearing his throat, he downed the remainder of his drink before looking back at the detective, "Out of those three, it's definitely not the third."

A small grin slipped onto Detective Strife's face at the reaction, Squall blinking in confusion as the man's gaze focused for a moment on his coffee cup, the smile falling. Noticing that he had been caught staring, the detective motion towards it with a quick flick of his pen, "You done?"

"Yeah."

"Me too." Pushing his chair out, the blond put his notebook away, "I'll throw it away for you if you want."

Squall's eyes narrowed thoughtful, not trusting the oddly intent look the detective was giving him. It was like a switch had been flipped in Detective Strife's demeanor, the man suddenly giving off a much more authoritative vibe. What was the big deal about his coffee cup? Ah…Zexion had warned him about this while he was being loaded up into the ambulance last night. He wasn't supposed to throw anything out that would have any traces of his DNA on it, including the Styrofoam cup in his hands.

Squall looked up at the detective whose hand was still outstretched invitingly. He had almost fallen for what had to be one of the oldest tricks in the police handbook. Shrugging, Squall stood up and grabbed his cup off of the table, "Don't bother."

A hard look passed through the other man's neon blue eyes as he realized his plan had been uncovered. His hand quickly retracted to slip into his pocket as he turned, following Squall as he slowly began to walk back up the street towards his house, "What? You're going to carry your trash home?"

"I'm carrying this possible piece of evidence home. Thanks for the coffee though."

Squall could just imagine Detective Strife cussing him out in his head though the man outwardly stayed remarkably composed. He was silent for a few moments, perhaps to mentally compose himself, finally speaking when they had walked halfway back up the block, "If you want to be proven innocent, just give me the cup so we can run the DNA through the system. If not, I'll just be back with a court order and get a blood sample."

"You get your court order then."

That smug comment was apparently the last straw for Detective Strife's patience, the man throwing his arm out, his palm slapping against the wall of the building they were walking along and stopping Squall in his place. "Look, if you don't start cooperating, I will personally make sure that you receive the maximum jail time when you're finally convicted!"

Taking a breath to calm himself, Squall stared right into Detective Strife's eyes, a jolt running through him as they stared each other down, "_If_ I'm convicted. So far, the police haven't come up with enough evidence to so much as hold me for questioning."

The detective bristled, "Don't think it's going to stay that way! You and your accomplices killed six men last night! You're all going to be put away for life, like the murderers you are!"

That was it. Stormy eyes flashing, Squall's emotions slipped out and in one motion, he grabbed the detective's arm, throwing him back against the wall and trapping him there, holding a wrist in each fist as he pinned the blonde's hands on either side of his head, "Don't talk as if you know who I am! You don't know what kind of hell I've been through, what I'm going through! Do you think I wanted those men dead?"

Detective Strife didn't struggle against his hold, but simply glared straight back at Squall with a determined look, "We won't know unless you decide to talk. It's up to you."

The lack of a reaction brought Squall back into his right mind, blinking as he realized how close he had gotten, his face inches away from the other man's. The bastard really did have a beautiful face…Shaking his head, Squall pushed away before his rage could be replaced by other emotions. Checking that the now crumpled up coffee cup was still in his hand, he let out a heavy breath, "You won't get anything from me. If you want to solve your case, find some evidence."

"You can count on it."


	9. Chapter 9

Whoo! The next chapter is finally up! Thank you so much to , 0Life-is-a-Song0, Dragi, b4k4 ch4n, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Shinimegami7, Arid Tundra, Nekotsubasa, andhearts, Velvet Chaos, Clockwork Phoenix, A-chan, MadeInHolland, LoneBoy7, Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel, DeNiSaY60, Composer Gizmo-chan, Aindel S. Druida, Pockylover09, ramen-is-my-goddess, RealityInABottle, ooXloveXoo582, and Bane-Dane! You guys are my heroes~! ^^

O

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Chapter 9

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Axel and Roxas looked up from where they sat crowded around Axel's computer screen as Cloud quietly opened the door and drifted inside. Swallowing a bite of the Chinese takeout they had ordered in, Axel knew Cloud was out of it when he didn't even seem to notice that Roxas was sitting on his lap. Not wanting to take any chances, Roxas slowly slid off onto another chair that he had brought in, Axel speaking up only after the maneuver was successfully executed. "So…how'd it go?"

Cloud blinked then shook his head, "It didn't go. I almost had him but he backed off at the last second." Sitting down at his desk, Cloud stared thoughtfully at the screen, "I think he's starting to crack though."

"What do you mean?"

"I was riling him up to see if I could get anything out of him and he snapped for a second."

Roxas's brow furrowed, "That weirdo didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Cloud paused, his mind drifting back to what had happened. When Leonhart had him pinned there had been a moment when he thought he was going to get hurt but that hadn't been the case. Towards the end, he had actually thought that Leonhart was going to kiss him…The mixed emotions of rage and attraction had kept him paralyzed and he was still reeling from the aftereffects. It was still difficult to think straight. He felt disgusted, angry, confused, practically everything under the sun but the one thing he really wanted was to see Leonhart again, if only to punch him in the face. "No. He wouldn't have gotten very far anyway, he was unarmed and I had my gun on me." To prove it, Cloud flipped open his jacket to reveal that he was wearing a shoulder holster.

Axel shook his head and set the chow mein he had been devouring down, "I keep on telling you that you still need to keep your guard up. The guy's a killer."

"And I keep telling you that I can take care of myself, so drop it, alright? Let's try and focus on our jobs."

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Axel leaned back in his chair, closing the window he and Roxas have been looking at on his computer, "Fine. It's not like there's too much more to go over at this point. Luxord filed his report while you were gone; it's in the system so you can take a look at it whenever you want. I skimmed it and it doesn't say much that we don't know already. Basically we're stuck where we are until either we get a hold of a DNA sample from Leonhart or we figure out who Riku and Zexion are and bring them in."

Cloud frowned, "I don't think we're going to be able to get a sample from Leonhart without a warrant, and I doubt we'll get a warrant without more supporting evidence to tie him to the scene. That leaves us with hunting down Riku and Zexion."

"What can we really do but wait for hits from the hospitals?"

Frustration quickly mounting, Cloud ran his fingers through his hair, only serving to mess it up further, "We can't just do nothing! There must be something we're missing. We need to look at the evidence Luxord got from the crime scene."

"That's probably all back at the lab in Dark City…man, we just had to drive there and back this morning, I don't think I'm up for another road trip."

"Too bad, you're getting paid for it. We'll go out again tomorrow morning."

Axel raised a brow, "Should we call Luxord then and let him know we're coming?"

"No, then he'd have time to figure out a way to block our access to the crime scene evidence. We'll just come over unannounced. Technically we have every legal right to look at what they collected since it was our investigation first."

"True." Axel's voice was still unenthusiastic, but Cloud was pretty sure it was because the redhead didn't want to spend another four hours in a car tomorrow. He couldn't say he blamed him. At least he would be reimbursed for the gas money.

Glancing over in his partner's direction, Cloud offered a small grin, "The good news is that we might as well take off early from work. Not much more we can do in the office anyway."

The news did wonders for Axel's spirit and a smile was back on his face, "Well, when you put it that way, the plan just got a lot more bearable. Maybe I'll actually get a few hours of sleep."

"If only…" Cloud turned his computer on and ran a search for Luxord's infamous report, printing the document out so that he would be able to read it back at his apartment. Walking over to the printer, Cloud looked at his brother, "Are you free to leave now?"

"Yeah, my shift ended about an hour ago. I'm just kind of hanging around."

"Do you want a ride home?"

"Thanks, but Axel said he'd give me one. Right, Axel?"

The redheaded detective blinked, his green eyes confused before Roxas turned give him a look, "Oh, ya. I remember that now. Ya, no worries Cloud, I'm going that way anyway to run some errands."

Cloud narrowed his eyes at them, for once focusing his stare more on his brother than Axel, "You are, huh? Well…I'll call at some point during the night to make sure you made it back alright."

Roxas glared back, although the look came out more as a pout. It wasn't the kid's fault; he had a very boyish facial structure. One of the curses of the Strife family. "I'm an adult now you know. You don't need to check up on me."

"When you're alone with Axel, I do." Ignoring Axel's protest, Cloud continued as he pulled his papers from the printer, "There's no telling what you two would get up to left to your own devices…Actually, I can tell, which is why I'll be calling." Looking up, Cloud gave a small smirk, "As your big brother, it's my job to harass you, get used to it."

Roxas chose instead to continuing glaring, the staring contest between the two brothers ending when Roxas let out a small huff and crossed his arms over his chest, "Why'd I want to work with you again…?"

"Couldn't tell you. What I do know is that Axel better not cause any trouble because he's going to be stuck in a car with me for four hours tomorrow. Got it?"

Axel answered for the other blond, "Crystal clear." Standing, he began to collect his things, "But I think I'll be taking you up on that leaving early thing before you rescind the offer. Come on Roxy, let's beat it before he changes his mind."

Watching them scurry out of the room, Cloud waited until the door to the detectives' office shut behind them before letting out a sigh. He checked the papers in his hand to make sure he had them all before walking slowly back over to his desk and grabbed his briefcase up off of the floor. Shoving the thick stack of papers inside, he found himself wondering what exactly was going on between those two. Never mind. He really didn't want to know. Roxas was right when he said that he was an adult now; Cloud had no business sticking his nose into their private lives. But still…Maybe he was just bothered by seeing Axel and Roxas get closer because it reminded him of how painfully pathetic his own private life was. If he could even be considered to have one that is…

Maybe his whole issue with Leonhart was just some sort of manifestation of sexual repression. It was possible. Thinking about it, he hadn't had a "significant other", gone on a date, or even had a drunken, regret-filled one-night stand in months. Okay, that was a lie. It had been a few years. Slamming his briefcase shut, Cloud shook his head as if it would break apart the thoughts. Days off early were a rare commodity in his line of work and he was going to make the most of his. Even if that meant going back to a dark apartment to heat up a microwave dinner and go over Luxord's report on the living room couch. At least it would be a change in scenery.

oOoOo

The next morning found two very sleepy detectives sitting in the front seats of Cloud's converted cruiser, the two coffees sitting in the cup holders clearly the only thing keeping their eyes open. Leaning his head back, Axel let out a grunt as his hair hit the headrest, "It's way the hell too early to be functioning…"

"Tell me about it…" Cloud reached down and fumbled around for his coffee, keeping his eyes on the highway in front of them that was just beginning to fill with early morning commuters. "That stupid report kept me up 'til midnight in the morning, I got three hours of sleep."

"Man, that's not sleep, that's a nap." Stretching, Axel adjusted his seat belt so it would stop chaffing his neck, looking down at the clock on the dashboard, "We'll be in Dark City right when the lab opens."

"Hopefully that means we won't have any trouble from Luxord for a while."

"If that guy's there and stops us from looking at the evidence, I swear I will shoot someone."

Cloud glanced briefly at his partner and at the handgun holstered on the man's hip with a reprimanding frown, "Don't even joke."

"Fine, I'll tase 'em. Or mace, mace would be satisfying…"

"Better. Non-lethal anyway." Spotting Dark City's skyline on the horizon, Cloud snatched up his coffee cup again, "…This is going to be a long day."

Fortunately, it didn't take much longer to arrive at the Dark City crime lab, the building a strange hybrid between a warehouse and an office building with a very industrial façade. It was also conveniently located down the block from the main police station, although that fact just made Cloud wary as he stepped out of the car. He was hoping that there would be a little distance between the two. Undoubtedly Luxord would be notified about Cloud and Axel riffling through his evidence as soon as they requested to see it, whether or not they had a legal right to do so. With the police station so close it wouldn't take long for the arrogant detective to walk over and interfere. They might have three to five minutes to study the items at a maximum if Luxord decided to walk over immediately.

Axel slammed the passenger side door as he got out, catching Cloud's attention as the redhead stifled a yawn behind his hand, "Let's get this over with."

Nodding, Cloud went on ahead, Axel following close behind the shorter blond as they pushed the door to the lab open. Cloud spotted a man sitting at a desk behind a glass window and walked over, knocking lightly on the window to catch his attention.

The man glanced up sharply, his eyes narrowing as he took in Cloud, and especially Axel's, appearances, "Good morning. What can I do for you?"

Ready for the question, they simultaneously pulled their badges out of their pockets and pressed them against the glass, Cloud unable to keep down a small smile as the man blinked up in surprise, "We're detectives from Twilight Town and we need to see the evidence Detective Downes brought in from a crime scene yesterday."

"I'm sorry sir, but that's confidential property of the Dark City Police Department."

Pulling his badge back and stuffing it into his pocket, Axel frowned down at the man through the glass, "Look, it's part of an ongoing investigation, so unless you want to start something between the DCPD and the TTPD, I suggest you let us look at the evidence. Check our names or whatever, but we kinda don't have time for any bureaucratic crap right now."

The man frowned back uncertainly, clearly not appreciating the veiled threat but not wanting to impede on a case. Glancing back behind him further into the crime lab, as if looking for some assistance, he turned back to them with a frustrated sigh, "Fine, you can come in but you'll have to sign the evidence out and you can only view it in a designated area. I will be calling Detective Downes about this and if he hasn't heard of you, we'll hold you for tampering with the evidence."

Cloud slipped his own badge back into his back pocket, "Sounds fair."

The man behind the glass huffed a little and pressed a button to activate an intercom, "…Lab tech needed at the front desk…"

A few seconds passed before a young woman in a long white coat appeared, the annoyed expression on her face indicating that she had been interrupted in her work, "What is it?"

The man at the desk nodded to Cloud and Axel, "These two have requested to see the evidence from Downes's new case."

"And who would they be?"

Cloud reached out his hand, which the woman accepted after a second in a handshake, "Detective Cloud Strife, and my partner Detective Axel Flynn, from the Twilight Town Police Department. We just need to take a quick look."

The woman looked unconvinced, "Detective Downes didn't say anything about you two…"

"I assure you, he knows who we are, and we're allowed to be here. This is our case just as much as his. He just seems to think that this is some sort of competition…you know how Luxord gets."

Nodding, the woman relaxed a little, "Yeah, I do. Alright, come with me." As they left the foyer, Cloud glanced over his shoulder to see the receptionist picking up a phone, undoubtedly to give Luxord a call.

Ignoring it for now, Cloud focused on following the lab technician through a maze of cubicles and large glass rooms, practically every corner filled with machines, testing materials, large binders filled with paperwork, and plastic evidence bags. Even at this early hour, the place was buzzing with activity, technicians dressed in the same white coat as the woman in front of them going about their business. Cloud couldn't help but be impressed at it all. While Twilight Town had a very reliable crime lab, they just didn't have the same kind of resources and funding that Dark City was able to devote to their own lab. Though the difference was understandable since Dark City's crime rates were astronomical in comparison to Twilight Town's.

At a brisk pace, the woman guided them to one of the large glass rooms where a large metal table stood in the middle, stacks of brown cardboard boxes piled up in the corner. The table was covered in bagged items, the objects organized apparently by type: bullets, blood stained carpet fragments, broken equipment, even the ropes that the perps had used to climb down the building. Everything was already labeled with it's type and location and some of the bags that seemed to have contained blood-stained items were empty, their contents undoubtedly having been sent to be tested. Turning to face them, the woman put her hands on her hips, "Here's everything that was gathered from the scene. Try not to move anything around too much, we just spent an hour organizing it. I shouldn't have to tell you this, but if you want to pick anything up, use gloves." Pointing up, the woman motioned to a security camera attached in the corner of the ceiling, "Your actions will be monitored. If any suspicious activity is noted, you will be escorted off the premise, understand?"

Cloud and Axel nodded and didn't even watch as the woman left, eager to get started. Grabbing a pair of latex gloves from a small box sitting by the door, Axel pulled them on with a sharp snap, "Alright, where do we start?"

Following suit, Cloud donned his own pair of gloves, "First take pictures of everything." Pulling out his notebook, Cloud flipped to an empty page, "Let's see what Luxord found…"

As Axel diligently took pictures of every item, Cloud started going through the bags that had been photographed. So many things had been collected that it was hard to know what was important. Starting with the bullets, Cloud noticed that they had been divided up into groups depending on what type of gun had fired them. There were only three groups, which made sense. The largest came from a pile that was labeled "Guards" along with the make of their handgun. It would make sense that they were all outfitted with the same weapon. The thing that really surprised Cloud was how many bullets were in the other two piles, a smirk slipping across his face as he observed them more closely.

One pile looked like it had come from a specialized weapon; the bullets were a rare type, he had never even heard of the brand, and they were an irregular size. Although it would make it hard to track down the exact type of gun that had fire them, it would make it easier to track down whoever used the gun. Only so many could have been sold in the area and the perp who used it was likely to be one of those few who purchased one. Looking at the last pile his smirk only grew. Shaking his head, he picked up the bag so get a closer look and his suspicions were confirmed. Judging from their shape and size, the bullets came from a type of service revolver only issued to police officers, the military, and, of course, mercenary groups. The bullets themselves were produced by a company that exclusively sold to the same groups. There were only a few people who would have access to that gun and that type of ammo. "Gotcha Leonhart…"

"Huh? You say something?"

Cloud looked up to see Axel staring curiously at him and gently shook the evidence bag in his hand, "Let's just say I found some corroborating evidence for Leonhart's trial."

"Awesome. But if you liked that, then you're going to love this."

Setting his camera down, Axel dug a bag out from under a small pile of debris that had been collected at the site, revealing what looked like some sort of slight smashed machine. Cloud couldn't tell what it was supposed to be from across the table, "Why would I love that?"

"Because, this bag of metal scraps used to be a high-tech device used by hackers, probably to by-pass the buildings security systems. I had one like it on a case I worked like two years ago, and this is definitely the same thing, except a little more beat-up."

"And what's good about that?"

Axel rolled his eyes in exasperation, "It means that someone was with the group of thieves who knew enough about electronics to work this thing. It takes like years of knowledge to know how to use this, and even more smarts to be able to use it to hack a security system, especially one as advanced as what the Dark City Organization installed. What's better is that there are only a few places to get things like this, even on the black market, and even the illegal ones usually have serial numbers. Like this one." Pointing to a series of miniscule numbers punched into the inside of the smashed-open metal box, Axel grinned, "It shouldn't be too hard to trace the buyer of this one."

"I wonder if Luxord's figured that out yet?"

"What have I figured out?" Cloud froze as the voice echoed out from behind him. Turning around, his gaze landed on a rather irate looking Luxord standing in the doorway, "Gentlemen, this was rather devious, even for you. Looking through another man's evidence without proper notice is rather something of an insult in the detecting business."

Both Twilight Town detectives put down the bags they were holding as inconspicuously as possible, Axel not dropping his grin as he replied, "Well we were betting that you weren't going to let us check it out if we told you ahead of time, so we decided to surprise you."

"A good gamble I suppose, but poorly executed." Walking in, Cloud watched as Luxord's eyes easily took in the camera and his notebook, "So, have you discovered anything noteworthy?"

Cloud answered easily, "Just the differences between the bullets that were collected. Looks like the perps managed to fire off quite a few rounds. I'm assuming most of them were found in the walls?"

Raising a brow, Luxord leaned forward and pointed down to the bag full of military-issue ammo, "About half of these were found in the walls along the corridors. About three-fourths of these," Luxord moved his finger to point at the bag of specialized ammo, "were found in the bodies of the guards."

"Meaning that the perp using the specialized ammo was probably the only one firing when they were trapped in the office by the guards…" Cloud fell silent. That meant that for whatever reason, Leonhart hadn't been firing and, when taken into account that the office is were the blood was found from one of the perps, that meant that it was likely that Leonhart had been the one who lost the blood there. The thought that he had yet to collect a sample from Leonhart brought a frown to Cloud's face. Without something to compare the blood spilled in the Organization's office too, it was practically useless.

"Precisely. Now, if you would care to do any further inspection, please by all means continue. However, I think that I will stay and observe. You understand of course."

"Sure." Watching out of the corner of his eyes as Luxord stepped back to lean against on of the walls, Cloud turned back to Axel, "Did you get photos of everything?"

The redhead nodded, "Yep. Got close-ups on some things too, so we'll be able to get all the details back at the station."

"Good. Well then, I think we might actually have everything we came for already." Pulling off his gloves, Cloud sent a small, slightly smug smile back towards Luxord, "This way we won't have to take any of your time."

Narrowing his eyes, Luxord took a moment before straightening up, "You'll be sure to keep me posted then on any leads then."

Axel followed Cloud over to the door to the room, throwing his used gloves away into a small trashcan under the table on his way out, "Right back at you, Luxord. We'll see ourselves out."

"By all means."

Leaving before the other detective could ask too many questions, Cloud and Axel quickly jumped back into the car. Before Cloud could get back on the highway Axel spoke up thoughtfully, having caught a glimpse of the Dark City train station from his window, "I wonder if they took the train out of town since no one said anything about them using a van in this robbery…?"

Cloud blinked and immediately took a hard right to catch the turn to the train station. Flung against the passenger's door from the centrifical force, Axel swore as he regained his balance, "What the hell was that for?!"

"The station probably has security cameras set up. If any of them did take the train to or from Dark City than they should be one video!"

"Yeah, great. Next time give me a heads up before a turn like that though, alright?"

"We were going to miss the turn."

"You could've turned around later!"

Shrugging, Cloud followed the road signs to the train depot, parking his car in an area reserved for those who were going to be there less than an hour. Heading to the main office, they quickly found the chief security guard and, with a flash of their badges, had copies of the footage from all of the security cameras half an hour later. The footage was only from the past three days but that should have been enough to catch their suspects going to or coming from the city.

Three hours later, Cloud and Axel found themselves back in Twilight Town and sitting on top of Cloud's desk staring intently at a TV screen they had wheeled in from the break room. As soon as they had gotten back to the station they had put Roxas to work running the serial numbers on the hacking device to see if he got a hit on buyers or sellers in the area. Cloud had printed out a quick print of a photo Axel had taken that morning of the specialized ammo and dropped it on Roxas's desk so that after he was done tracking serial numbers, he could research the maker and possible buyers of the bullets. He was earning his pay today.

Back in the detectives' office they were watching the security camera footage on fast-forward so that it went at twice the normal speed. The image was split up on the TV screen so that it showed four camera angles at once, Cloud in charge of watching the left side of the monitor while Axel was in charge of the right. Since they only knew what Leonhart looked like, they had their eyes open to look for anyone remotely resembling the ex-SeeD. So far they were drawing a blank.

Even on fast-forward, the footage seemed to stretch on forever. Four hours into it, Axel heaved a sigh, taking off his glasses to rub at the bridge of his nose, "Ah, the pictures are still hurting my eyes, even with the glasses on. This is stupid! Half of the picture is static and even if Leonhart did walk right by we probably wouldn't notice because the quality sucks so bad!"

Glancing over at the clock on the wall, Cloud was shocked to find that it was only 2pm. He would've sworn that it was already 5pm at least, but that's what getting up at three in the morning did to you. "He's pretty distinctive, I think you'd notice."

"No, _you'd_ notice. You and your Leonhart obsession…to me he's just another serious-looking guy with a scar across his face."

Cloud didn't even have to take his eyes from the screen, his tone clearing indicating how hard he was glaring right now, "Shut up Axel."

A few minutes later, Cloud perked up a bit something catching his attention from the corner of the screen right when his focus was about to fade. Leaning in, he frowned as he took a closer look at the top left image, his brows shooting up as he saw it again. Checking the corner of the image, the footage had been taken around 12pm two nights ago, less than an hour before the robbery was supposed to have gone down. Although the image was fairly blurry, the figure was still unmistakable. It was Leonhart all right, wearing heavy boots, tight black pants, and a heavy jacket, the man's hair down and covering a good deal of his face. Damn; did this mean Axel was right?

"If you sit that close to the TV you're going to go blind, you know." Startled, Cloud whipped his head around, finding Axel gazing back with an eyebrow raised in curiosity, "Find something?"

Cloud put all the screens on pause, backing the images up a few frames until Leonhart was standing right in the middle of the top left picture. Tapping the screen, Cloud leaned back, "Look familiar?"

Frowning, Axel leaned over him to get a better view, a smile slipping onto his lips as recognition filled his eyes, "Aw, look, Cloudy found Leonhart! I knew you would!"

"At least _I_ found something." Not willing to give Axel the benefit of a reaction, Cloud changed subjects despite his annoyance, "Since he's walking across the terminal down to the left corner of the picture, it means that he probably just got off the train and is walking into the city."

"And since he got a ride in, that probably means that he got a ride out! Luxord wrote in his report at roughly what time they managed to escape, right?"

"Yeah, he said that going off guards' testimonials they climbed down the building roughly around one in the morning. Taking into account that he had to walk back from the skyscraper to the train station means that he probably could've gotten there by around two, especially if he was injured and alluding capture at the same time."

"Alright, let's take a look!" Abandoning his own side of the TV screen, Axel grabbed the remote and began to fast-forward the taps again, this time at a much faster rate, until the time marker in the corner read 1:30am. "Whoever spots him first this time wins. Loser buys pizza tonight."

"You're on."

Cloud, of course, won the bet. Ten minutes into watching the footage at normal speed, his finger shot out again and connected with the screen right above a picture of Leonhart entering into view, "I win."

Muttering a curse, Axel scowled, about to move back when the film progressed and two more figures came into view. Leonhart seemed to be supporting someone with the help of another man. As the three staggered towards the train off-screen, Cloud turned to Axel, a smug smile on his face, "Well either he's being a good samaritan and helping someone load up their wasted friend onto the train or those are Riku and Zexion, one of which is too injured from the robbery to walk himself."

"I think I'm gonna go with the latter." Pausing the footage, Axel and Cloud gazed at the image, each privately amazed that they had gotten two such notorious criminals on film.

The afterglow of their small victory was interrupted as the door to their office was thrown open, causing both of them to jump. A streak of blond ran in and Roxas scooted around the TV so that he was standing right in front of the two detectives, his eyes wide and excited. "You guys aren't going to believe what I found!"

Axel grinned, "We'll have to see if it's as awesome at what we just got."

Glancing back at the TV screen, Roxas turned back around unimpressed, "My news is way better! I tracked down the serial number on that mechanical, thing, you took a picture of and got back a name of the business who sold it. I got in contact with them and, after convincing them that no charges would be made against them for illegal activity would be filed if they gave me information, they sent me the account number for the person who bought that device from them. Now there wasn't a name or address or anything attached _but_ after some more snooping I found that a sizeable amount of cash had just recently been withdrawn from that same account. The money was used just yesterday to pay for bills at the hospital in Traverse Town!"

"The hospital in Traverse Town?" Cloud's mind immediately locked onto Leonhart. He hadn't pegged him to be the one who would've bought hacking equipment but—

Waving his hand, Roxas broke up Cloud's thoughts, "I know what you're thinking, and it wasn't Leonhart. I checked with the hospital and they said that neither Leonhart had been to the hospital in about a week. When I asked them about the patient who paid with money from the semi-legal account, they did give me a name; Ienzo Corazza. Get this, he had checked in the night before he was discharged with a broken leg."

Axel nodded, "Sounds like the sort of injury you'd get from falling a few stories after getting shot at."

"I know, right? Anyway, it gets even better. Another patient checked in at the same time as him because of neck injuries and stayed a few hours before being released. I'd be willing to bet that the guy is the third thief."

Frowning thoughtfully, Cloud leaned back on his desk, "What about the specialized ammo, did you have time to run that?"

"I just got finished with that actually. After some online searching, I managed to locate the maker. The bullets and the gun that fired them likely came from a high-end, less than legal, gun and ammunitions store back in Dark City. When I called them, they were a little less than helpful. I faxed them a picture of the bullets and they said that the sort of gun that they were made for was a probably a special model made about a decade ago. Only a few of them were ever made and sold, and you had to be pretty well-to-do to be able to afford it. When I tried to press him for more information, he stopped talking but not before letting the name 'Riku' slip. That was the supposed name of one of the crooks, right?"

"Yeah, and that would make sense. From what we were told, this Riku guy used to be a hitman, so it wouldn't be too surprising for someone like that to buy such a customized weapon."

Clapping his hands together, Axel slid off the top of Cloud's desk, "We're finally bringing things together! Do we have enough to bring this Ienzo guy in for questioning?"

Cloud hesitated for a moment before nodding, "I'll give our supervisor a call but we should go ahead and start setting this up. While we're at it, let's bring Leonhart back in too so we can question them together."

"What about that Riku guy?"

Cloud paused at Axel's question and Roxas jumped in, "I think you have a fair chance of catching him at the hospital. They said that he was going to come in to pay his bills today."

"Good idea, we'll set up a stake-out. Axel, you call over to the Traverse Town PD to request that a plainclothes unit be stationed at the hospital until we can get some of our own guys there. I'll get them a copy of this," Cloud tapped the TV screen where the image of Leonhart and his two companions limping onto the train still hovered, "so that they can identify him if he comes in. Meanwhile, Rox, get us Ienzo Corazza's address so that we can send someone to pick him up, and get another team to go out and pick up Leonhart. Meanwhile, we need to set up an interrogation space and get some questions ready."

As soon as Cloud stopped talking they burst into a flurry of activity, excitement pumping adrenaline into their veins and increasing their pace, Cloud and Axel each diving for their desk phones as Roxas hurried back to his desk outside.

Once they had units dispatched, Cloud got on the phone with their supervisor to work out the legalities. Luckily, the man agreed that they had gathered enough circumstantial evidence to bring them in for questioning, although Cloud was more than a little put off to hear that he still did not have enough evidence to get a warrant to take a DNA sample from Leonhart. Hopefully someone would talk during the interview and give him something to work with.

Claiming the largest interrogation room, he and Axel got to work in trying to set up the right stage for questioning. Although it was true that they could question the men one at a time, having them in the same room at once seemed like it might give interesting results. They had already figured out that Leonhart wouldn't talk, but maybe he would slip up if put in the same room as his two partners. After all, they would be arriving separately and so wouldn't have the opportunity to set up a cover story. Unless they were really good at adlibbing, they probably wouldn't be able to come up with a very smooth alibi that would explain away the evidence, particularly the video of them at the Dark City train station.

At 5:03pm, their first suspect arrived. Cloud didn't immediately recognize him but, by the cast wrapped around his right leg from just below the knee to the heel of his foot, Cloud guessed that it was Mr. Corazza. As he hobbled into the interrogation room on his crutches, Cloud found it hard that the other was a legal adult capable of the crimes he was under suspicion for. Despite his calm, cool demeanor he barely looked a day over 17.

Dropping gratefully down into a seat across the table from where Cloud and Axel were sitting, Mr. Corazza glanced around at the two seats next to his, his visible eyebrow rising with just a hint of surprise, "I am assuming that I am not the only one who you plan to interview today?"

"That's right. But we might as well talk until they get here." Flipping open his notebook, Cloud looked the other man straight in the eye, fighting the urge to look down again as he was met with a glacial indifference. "You're Ienzo Corazza, correct?"

"That is correct."

"Mr. Corazza, do you know why you were brought in?"

"Ienzo is fine. And as to your question, yes, I have been informed as to the nature of this interview although I have to say that some advance notice would have been appreciated. I would have had the time to make myself a little more presentable."

Cloud looked over, realizing that the man was dressed in what looked like his pajamas, striped, drawstring pants and a old band t-shirt that looked a little too big for him. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience but there's really no need for you to dress up. You just got out of the hospital anyway, it's to be expected."

Setting the file of information he was holding down, Axel glanced up at the slender man, "This says you're twenty-seven. Is this a fake ID?"

"I assure you, that is my true date of birth. My birth certificate is on record at Traverse Town's City Hall if you still do not believe it."

"Just checking—" Axel paused as there was a knock on the door and it was swung open to reveal a tall young man with silver-white hair. The man appearance switched from a glower to a sort of happy surprise at seeing Ienzo sitting in the room. The officer holding the man led him inside before walking over a manila folder filled with his personal effects.

Searching through it, Cloud frowned, "No personal identification?"

The officer shook his head, "No sir, he wasn't carrying any."

Turning his attention back to the silver-haired man, Cloud gave him a quick once over. He was well-built, handsome, and just from the way he sat down Cloud could tell that he was going to be one of the most arrogant men he had ever dealt with, "For the record, please state your name and date of birth."

He received a smirk in response, "I think I'll decline to state."

"Well what are we supposed to call you then when we address you?"

"Call me Riku then."

"Riku?" The man nodded back and Cloud shook his head. The man was brazen, that's for sure, giving his street name out during the first interview. He was either trying to protect his true identity or he was just so confident that he was going to get away with it that he didn't care.

"Riku, do you know the man sitting beside you?"

Riku glanced over at Zexion before turning back to the detectives, his expression never changing, "I may or may not've seen him before."

"Have you or haven't you? It's a pretty simple question."

"Sure, let's say so."

Cloud looked up as there was a second knock on the door, frowning softly as it swung open and Leonhart stepped inside, the soldier barely batting an eye when he saw who else was in the room. Walking over to the last remaining seat, Leonhart sat down on his own, his gaze avoiding Cloud's. Cloud didn't think it was from guilt over the robbery though, maybe just from memories of their last encounter.

Shifting his gaze across the line, Axel leaned back in his chair, "Well, now that the gang's all here, I suppose we can get started with the good stuff. Just as a procedure, I'm obliged to tell you that this interview is being tapped, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law, at any time you have a right to an attorney, blah, blah blah. Alright. Now, I want you each to tell me what you were doing two nights ago around midnight."

He pointed at Ienzo who let out a small sigh, "I was at a club in Dark City and broke my leg. There is not too much to say about the whole matter."

Cloud and Axel's focus shifted to Riku who shrugged nonchalantly, playing seamlessly off of Ienzo's lead, "Same here. Except for the breaking my leg part."

Turning to Leonhart, Cloud raised his brow, "You never really seemed like the partying type to me Leonhart. Are you going to tell me that you went to a club in Dark City too that night?"

Finally Leonhart met his gaze, his stormy grey eyes flashing, "Even I need a moment or two to relax."

"Right." That hadn't been very convincing. As appealing as the idea was of Leonhart at a club, Cloud found the image hard to conjure up in his mind. Maybe the soldier loosened up after a few drinks but for him to be to willing go in the first place seemed unreasonable. "Can anyone else besides the three of you back up your story?" He received silence in response and took this as his answer. "Seeing as you are all residences of Traverse Town, how did you get to Dark City?"

Ienzo went first again, "I took the train."

Riku gave a short nod, "Ditto."

And Leonhart, "I took the train as well."

Scowling, clearly becoming annoyed, Axel kept his eyes on Leonhart, "What about you, do you know the two men sitting next to you?"

Leonhart glanced over and shrugged, "I may have seen them before."

Looking towards Ienzo, Cloud began to dig through the small stack of papers they had brought in with them, "Did the three of you meet at all in the club?"

"We perhaps brushed by each other once or twice but it is difficult to recall distinct faces from such an environment."

Finding the page he was looking for, Cloud pulled out a copy of the security camera footage showing who was now clearly Ienzo being carried by Riku and Leonhart, "How do you explain this then? Surely you'd remember the guys who carried you home."

All three men across the table leaned in to try and decipher the fuzzy image and all three quickly leaned back looking sufficiently nonplussed. "I suppose my mind was not all together at the moment. I was in a good deal of pain then and was about ready to pass out."

Before Axel or Cloud could ask another question, Riku spoke up, "Actually, you don't sound so hot right now. Did these guys do something?"

"Quite on the contrary, I am still under the lingering affects of the morphine from the hospital and took a slight overdose of my prescribed Vicodin this morning. While I am no longer in any pain, functioning properly is proving challenging. In fact, I am seeing two of you at the moment but I am sure it will pass."

"You're such a sissy."

"I do not think that this is the proper time to—"

Cloud watched as Leonhart closed his eyes, startled a bit when he raised his voice over Ienzo and Riku's conversation, "Would you two knock it off so we can get out of here?"

Apparently remembering where they were, Ienzo immediately shut his mouth and Riku grudgingly fell silent. Cloud and Axel had been willing to let them go to try and understand the group's dynamics better but it seemed that Leonhart wasn't going to have any of it. Might as well continue with the questions then, "It seems like you really don't have a good explanation for why the three of you happen to be boarding the train together. Moving on, it came to our attention yesterday that a robbery occurred in Dark City in the same district that houses the train station. Do any of you three know about that?"

Ienzo spoke up first and the other two let him, "I heard a bit about it on the news this morning. Perhaps you are having a little trouble solving the matter…maybe you should work on your intercity communication skills?"

Slamming his paperwork down on the table, Axel stood up, "Stop messing around! We know a lot more than you give us credit for Ienzo! Or should I say Zexion?"

Cloud watched all three carefully for their responses. He and Axel had decided to take a risk with that one. While they strongly suspected that Ienzo Corazza was indeed Zexion, they didn't really have any solid evidence to support their claims. Riku glanced over at the other man and Leonhart just continued to stare down at the table top. There was a long pause before Zexion finally moved, an eyebrow arching before he leaned back in his chair, "I suppose you can call me whatever you wish, but it will only stand up in court when backed by evidence. There is none, by the way."

"Nothing, huh?" As Axel sat back down, Cloud pulled out a copy of Ienzo's hospital bill from their stack of paperwork and slid it across the table, "We found something a little funny that we wanted to get your opinion on. Do you recognize that?"

Ienzo gave the sheet of paper a quick once-over before sliding it back halfway, "It would appear to be the bill I received from my overnight stay in the hospital."

"So it's yours then?"

"That is my name written across the top, yes."

"And all of the information on there is correct?"

Ienzo's voice slowed a little, his eyes narrowing just a hint. He knew that he was being led into something, "As far as I am aware."

"Well then, maybe you can help explain why this account number that was used to pay for your hospital stay matches the account number used to pay for a high-tech hacking device that was found at the scene of the crime two nights ago?"

Ienzo's face hardened, his voice becoming frigid as he stared at both detectives, "I cannot. Perhaps you made an error in your investigation."

Shaking his head, Axel leaned in his onto his palm, a gloating grin on his face, "Afraid not. We managed to track down the seller, he specifically gave us this number." Turning so that he was addressing the other two suspects as well, Axel absently flipped through their pile of paperwork, "That's not all that was found there though. You might have been able to make clean getaways before but this time, you got sloppy. Not that I can blame the three of you. Having your asses shot at as you rappel your way down the side of a building must've been a little stressful."

Riku rolled his eyes, Leonhart and Ienzo looking too tight-lipped to be able to reply, "Enough with the theatrics already. Seriously, Ienzo, Leon, if they had anything concrete against us we'd be sitting in the back of a squad car on our way to the jailhouse."

Cloud frowned at his dismissive attitude, "You sound like you've been through this before…"

"Once or twice. Now," Pushing away from the table, Riku rose to his feet and adjusted his coat, "unless you have anything more to say, I think I'll get going."

Axel bounced to his feet too, "You just can't leave. We're in the middle of an official police investigation!"

"Yeah, well next time get something to hold us on. Ienzo, Leon, are you guys coming? Trust me, they don't have the right to keep you here. The legal system's great like that."

"Since I am not sure that I like the direction this interview is taking, I think I will take my leave as well." Shakily pushing himself up, Ienzo grabbed his crutches from where they were leaning against the wall before turning a cold eye back towards Cloud and Axel, "Detectives, it has been, refreshing, to see that the Twilight Town Police Department is not made up of complete morons. I will be interested to see what you come up with later."

As Riku and Ienzo made their way out, Cloud's eyes flew back to Leonhart as the man stood as well, their eyes finally connecting again. "You're going too?"

Leonhart straightened up, "I have better things to do than have you waste my time again."

"Why'd Riku keep calling you 'Leon', is that _your_ street name? Already carving a spot out for yourself in the underworld?"

"'Leon' has been my name for the past two years. It's the only thing that hasn't changed since then."

As Leonhart, no, Leon, made to leave the room, Cloud lurched forward, "We know that you did it, that all three of you did it. We also know that you've gotten yourselves into some deep shit by trying to rob a place run by the Organization. If you turn yourselves in, we can offer you and your families protection."

"My partners aren't interested and I'm still not interested. Stop trying."

Striding across the room without breaking eye contact, Cloud whipped out his business card from his jacket pocket. "Not until I see you all behind bars." Leon looked down at the card in between Cloud's fingers and Cloud pushed it into the other man's hands. "Take it. When you change your mind, give me a call."

Glancing back up, Leon met Cloud's eyes again and ripped the card in half, shoving the trash into his pocket, "Don't count on it. And the next time you bring me in, make sure you have something to make it worth the effort."

His hands clenching into fists, Cloud watched as Leon strode out of the door, silently fuming. Riku had been right, they didn't have enough information yet to formally charge any of them for their crimes. But Cloud knew that they had the right guys, and after he and Axel managed to tie up a few more loose ends, they would be able to prove it, beyond the shadow of a doubt.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey all! Once again, I apologize for the getting the chapter out a little late. This time my only excuse is I'm sick. After my sister and roommate came down with something, it was pretty much inevitable that I was going to be next. Not to mention the fact that my university has pretty much turned into a giant sanatorium with students and faculty dropping like flies. Unfortunately none of my classes were canceled and you're still expected to show up unless you're on death's doorstep. Bah, who needs to breathe properly, I'll still bike the four miles to and from school. Anyway, whatever it is I have, a cold, swine flu, the bubonic plague, the next chapter managed to write itself despite it all.

Thank you very much to The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Shinimegami7, Nekotsubasa, andhearts, Lems, ChibixLeon, Dragi, CloudedMirror89, LoneBoy7, b4k4 ch4n, ramen-is-my-goddess, Bane-Dane, FireHawk038, DeNiSaY60, krad, , ooXloveXoo582, Lucia-luce, MadeInHolland, and RealityInABottle! Reading your guys' reviews gave me the energy I needed to get this thing done!

By the way, this chapter sort of earns the "T" for "teen" rating. Um, yeah…just a warning.

O

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Chapter 10

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Hurrying down the front stairs leading up to the Twilight Town police station, Squall found Riku and Zexion waiting for him at the bottom. Riku gave a little smirk in Zexion's direction, "See, told you he'd follow us out."

"Yes, well, it is not too surprising is it?"

A frown formed on Squall's face as he fell in line with the other two, "Neither of you seem very worried about the fact that we were all just brought in for questioning."

Shifting his position on his crutches Zexion gave an imitation of a shrug, "They clearly did not have much, although I will admit that the fact that they were able to bring the three of us shows that they are indeed closer on our trail than I would have preferred…Nevertheless, that is not my key concern at the moment."

"How's that?"

Riku took over from the drowsy looking Zexion. Squall wasn't sure if the detectives had noticed but Zexion was definitely not at his best, his eyes having lost some of their edge to the pain medication he had taken. "He's not concerned about the detectives because they have to play by the rules. I don't know if you remember but the last guys we tried to rob are run by a major crime group, and they're probably not too happy with us right now."

Squall's frown deepened as the three began to slowly make their way towards the Twilight Town train station. Since they had all been brought into the city in the back of a squad car, they had to rely on public transit to get them back home. Luckily the walk wasn't far but it would take them just to the edge of the city limits up a small hill. "Do you think that they're going to try something?"

"I know they're going to try something—"

"—Which is why," Zexion interrupted, "the two of you are being laid off, as it were."

At this, both Riku and Squall's attention was captured, "What?"

Nodding, Zexion continued to look straight ahead as he limped forward with his crutches, "For the time being, I think it would be best if all of us were to lay low. Whereas before we were able to simply focus our expeditions on a new town, this time we will surely attract the attention of the Organization wherever we go. They will forget about us with the passing of time but it would be wise for the both of you to find alternate means of employment."

The thought of once again being unemployed sent a chill down Squall's spine, "There are no other jobs. Don't you remember why I went along with all of this in the first place?"

"You and I will be facing the same problem so do not expect sympathy from me."

"Weren't you working at that employment agency downtown when I first met you?"

"That hardly pays enough to provide a suitable income. Although the job allows access to municipal records it provides few other benefits. Believe me, as soon as I feel it is safe to do so I will restart our little business."

Riku scoffed a bit at this, an annoyed scowl clear on his face, "I never thought I'd see the day when you went into hiding."

"One does what they must when their survival is at stake."

"I think Demyx is rubbing off on you too much."

Zexion shot an icy glare at Riku, "Perhaps my fractured fibula has reminded me of my own mortality, a fact you yourself should remember from time to time. Besides, it is clear that the police are at least somewhat aware of our involvement and will undoubtedly be watching us closely. We should not allow them the opportunity to gather more evidence against us by committing further crimes."

"If you think that they're getting too close, I can take care of them for you…"

Squall stiffened as he realized what exactly Riku was offering. Riku was a hitman; assassination was his specialty. "As much as I appreciate the offer Riku, I think it would be prudent to decline, although that could be the medication affecting my rationality. In our line of work one should not murder an officer of the law unless they are absolutely sure that they will get away with it. In this case, I fear that there are too many eyes trained on them and on us for it to go smoothly."

"Fine, but don't say I never try to do anything for you." By now they had walked a few blocks, the area emptying of pedestrians as they moved further away from the city center. As they crossed the street, Riku shot a sly grin towards Squall, "By the way, don't think I didn't notice your flinch, Leon. You of all people should know that you don't humanize the enemy."

Frowning, Squall ignored Riku's insinuation, "That reminds me, you kept calling me 'Leon' back during the interview. Just what were you trying to do?"

Zexion raised his eyebrows as if he had just realized that for the first time, proving that the drugs were indeed having an effect on his cognition. Feigning ignorance, Riku gave Squall an "innocent" look that he didn't buy for a second. "You mean they didn't know about that before? Guess we're all in the same boat now, huh?"

Squall nearly tripped as he stepped up onto the sidewalk, his attention focused on glaring at Riku, "You ungrateful brat. After what happened at the tower, you owe me your life!"

"But you owed me from before—"

Scoffing, Squall's glare hardened, "The favors can't even be compared. Maybe I should just let you fall next time."

Riku's grin had left his face to be replaced with a piercing gaze of his own, "Maybe you should've."

"Would you two stop bickering!"

Falling silent as Zexion raised his voice, Squall was suddenly struck by déjà vu. Except instead of him having to be the mature one, it was Zexion. Embarrassed that he had managed to let Riku rile him up so much, Squall forced himself to calm down, taking a slow breath to ease his temper. He had been on edge recently, it wasn't too much of a surprise he had let himself go like that.

Riku, however, didn't seem to have the same feeling and instead turned to Zexion, his annoyed scowl still in place, "What?"

"I think…we are being followed."

This immediately caught both Squall and Riku's attention, both beginning to subtly glance around. Automatically resting his hand on his hip, where his firearm would've been if he hadn't just been taken to the police station, Squall's grey eyes narrowed,

"Why's that?"

"Because. It may just be my imagination but I think that I have seen that black car behind us pass by once before, as if it were circling."

Squall glanced back behind them and, sure enough, there was a black SUV on the road about a block behind them, stuck at a stoplight. "Maybe they're just lost…?"

"Perhaps—" Zexion stopped midsentence as Riku suddenly tensed beside them, "What is it?"

As he shook his head Squall saw Riku's hands moving up to where his own holstered guns would've been, "All the windows are tinted. I just have a bad feeling about th—Get down!"

Starting at Riku's shout and the abrupt screeching of rubber on pavement, Squall threw himself to the concrete sidewalk, hands instinctively moving to cover the back of his neck as, he kept his head down as a sudden hail of bullets ripped overhead. The barrage ended with another sharp squeal of burning rubber, the sound of Squall's pounding heart and panting breath slowly coming through as his ears rung from the unexpected onslaught of noise.

He ran a quick mental check, cautiously concluding that he hadn't sustained any injuries before slowly pushing himself up, his gaze immediately searching for his companions. Riku was beside him, a flash of teal showing under a veil of silver hair before the gunman sat up as well. Seeing that he looked relatively unharmed, Squall turned to look behind him only to find Zexion somewhat curled up against the wall, his crutches thrown haphazardly to the side. It was clear the man had just let himself drop to the ground at Riku's command and, with his broken leg, was probably the only way he could've moved fast enough to save his life.

Looking up, Squall saw the brick wall behind them littered with a roughly horizontal band of bullet holes right about where their torso would've been if they had been standing upright, and right about where their head would've been if they had only crouched down.

Squall glanced back as Riku stood up completely, the man shaking himself off before brushing the remaining dust off of his clothes as if he had simply been bumped by someone in a crowd. Shocked, Squall followed suit and stood, "What was that?"

"That," flicking a final piece of dirt off of his jacket, Riku turned his eyes up to meet Squall's, "was a pathetic attempt on our lives."

"But who…?" Squall shook his head. When Zexion had said that they were being followed, he had immediately assumed that it was the detectives but they definitely didn't seem to be the type to try and take your head off with an automatic assault rifle which, if he was still able to accurately identify weaponry by the sound of their discharge, was the weapon that had been fired at them.

Wincing, Zexion grabbed his injured leg, apparently having banged it up in his dive for the sidewalk, "I would say that it likely was our dear friends at the Organization. This seems like their typical sort of warning."

Squall's gaze shot back to the wall behind him and the ruined brick façade, "That was a warning?"

Nodding his confirmation, Riku watched as Zexion picked his crutches up and stumbled to his feet, "Yeah. They're not the type of guys who mess around."

"How did they even know we were here?"

Riku looked to Zexion and Squall followed his gaze, the smaller man frowning thoughtfully as ran his fingers through his bangs, momentarily displaying the other side of his face, "That I do not know. They have undoubtedly been looking for us but even I am surprised that they found us so quickly. Not even we knew that we were going to be in Twilight Town until a few hours ago…" Zexion's voice trailed off for a few seconds. When he spoke next, his voice had a sharp tone to it, "The Organization does not have a base here in Twilight Town so, giving their timing, they must have left as Dark City to drive here nearly at the same moment we ourselves were being driven to the interrogation. The most likely explanation for this is that the Organization has some sort of connection among the police and were tipped off."

"How much do you think they know?"

Squall's question was met with a slight shrug from Zexion, "It would be difficult to say. We will simply have to wait to see what happens next. However, it is more imperative than ever that we maintain a low profile. I hope that this little, display, has convinced even you, Riku, of that necessity."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Swiping a strand of hair away from in front of his eyes, Riku made one more visual sweep of the road, "Anyway, now that the fun's over, we should probably get moving. The train leaves in about ten minutes; if we miss it, we'll have to wait another hour and I'd rather not give those guys an easy opportunity to make a return visit."

* * *

Cloud and Axel had just finished putting away their material from that disaster of an interrogation they had just attempted to hold when there was a commotion coming from the main part of the office. As Axel curiously raised his head from his paperwork, Cloud hopped up and opened the door to their office, a stream of excited voices reaching their ears as officers hurried out of the building. Sticking his head out, Cloud spotted Roxas near the front of the room talking to a small group of desk workers. Cloud caught his attention with a sharp whistle, yelling out across the main floor as the smaller blond turned his head, "What's all the fuss about?"

"A report of a shooting just came in from up on Market Street! I guess it happened a few hours ago but we just got wind of it now because there's hardly anyone up there at this time of day."

"A shooting?" Hearing Axel come up to stand behind him, Cloud frowned. There were hardly ever shootings in Twilight Town. Hell, there were only a handful of people who owned guns, excluding members of law enforcement. "Was someone injured?"

"I don't think so; I didn't hear anything either way. Apparently is was right up near the train station so we're thinking it was done by someone from out of town."

"Hey…" Axel's voice caught the back of Cloud's ear as the redhead leaned back against the doorframe, "Do you think it's just a coincidence?"

"That what's just a coincidence?"

"That we were just interviewing three suspects wanted for murder and robbery and right about the time they leave there's a shooting?"

Catching on, Cloud scowled, "They would've been going that direction too."

"Then again, when they came in none of them were armed. The guys at the booking desk said they checked them all twice for weapons."

Just as Axel had finished his sentence, the two detectives heard the buzz of a police radio from in the huddle Roxas was standing in. Moments later, Roxas spun around and hurried towards them, "Hey guys! The first units just got to the scene. It looks like there were no signs of any injuries but they estimate around fifty rounds were fired into the side of a building! They're saying it's probably a drive-by shooting!"

"Fifty rounds? From a drive-by?" Axel whistled, "Must've been a semi-automatic or automatic weapon then. That sounds a little out of our perps' range. And we know they didn't come with a car."

"Still, I wouldn't put it past them to somehow be involved…Maybe one of them somehow got a gun and a ride and was trying to silence the other two?"

"I don't know. From what we saw, I think they like each other too much to want to kill the others in cold blood, even if it's what they do. Maybe someone else took a shot at them—"

"—And there's a pretty short list of who wants them dead."

Axel met Cloud's gaze, "You think it was the Organization?"

"I'm not sure. But it would fit. If so, this whole thing is getting way out of hand. Getting shot at in broad daylight, why won't they just confess?!"

"Maybe they think they have a better chance out there than in a jail cell."

"At least they wouldn't be killed in a jail! I doubt the Organization's going to just let them go; there's going to keep going until all three of them are dead. Everyone on the force has heard stories about the lengths they'll go to just to prove a point."

Giving a slight nod, Axel glanced out their office window, the Twilight Town clock tower gleaming in the distance, "Right…They've done a lot worse than a drive-by shooting. We have to solve this fast before they try something like blowing up the train."

"This is ridiculous!" Blue eyes flashing, Cloud stormed past Axel and over to his desk where he quickly grabbed his jacket, pushing a pile of papers and miscellaneous junk off of the top of his desk and straight into his briefcase.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to see Leonhart to get a damned confession!"

"This could be considered harassment you know."

"Fine! He can sue me for all I care!" Snapping his briefcase shut, Cloud straightened up,

"This little game has gone on for long enough. It's time to end it before someone gets hurt!"

* * *

Letting out a sigh, Squall stepped into his home, closing the door behind him. Hearing footsteps, he looked up to find Sora appear from the family room. "You're back! What happened?"

Squall shook his head, "They just wanted to talk, nothing to worry about." Setting his keys on the side table by the door, he ran his fingers through his hair, "Were you getting hungry? Sorry, I said I'd have dinner ready by now."

Sora walked up to him, eyeing his older brother as if searching for wounds, "No, it's okay! I was just wondering when they were going to let you out."

Giving Sora a smile Squall hoped was comforting, he ruffled the teen's hair before making his way into the kitchen. This time when the police had come, Sora had been home. Luckily they didn't cuff him again when they took him in. Then again, Squall wasn't sure what they would've done if he had refused to go with them. Instead of putting up a fuss, he had just quietly told Sora was going to be out for a while and left with the police officer who had come to his door to get him.

"Sorry about that."

"Is everything alright? They're not, not going to come back for a while, right?"

Squall glanced back at Sora as he pulled his jacket off, dropping it onto the kitchen table before walking over to the fridge, "It doesn't look like it; unless something changes I should be left alone for a while."

"Good. I, don't like it when, when that happens…"

Pausing as he grabbed a head of lettuce, Squall glanced back again to see Sora gazing down at the floor, his hands clenched at his side. A frown worked its way onto his face and he dropped the lettuce, "Sor…come here."

Sora hesitated a moment before shuffling forward, clearly ashamed as tears began to build up in the corner of his eyes. The drops escaped, trickling down his cheeks as Squall pulled him into a firm hug, "I, I'm sorry! I shouldn't be crying! But I'm just scared that, that you're going to just disappear someday, just, just like M-mom and Dad! I don't want to come home and find you gone!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Sor, it's alright." Tightening his grip on his brother, Squall ran his hand up Sora's back to rest in his hair, his shoulder beginning to dampen as the teen buried his face against Squall's shirt to try and stifle his crying. "That won't happen. I won't let that happen." Gently urging Sora's head back up, Squall pressed their foreheads together, "Even if I am eventually arrested, it won't be the same as Mom and Dad."

Shaking away the thoughts of how close he suddenly came to being gunned down that very afternoon, Squall stared resolutely into Sora's sky blue eyes, "I'll always come back, I'll make sure of that. Okay?"

Squall received a shaky nod, Sora's tears having dried up as the younger met his eyes, "Yeah…" Giving a trembling laugh, he nodded, "I'm sorry. I'm acting like such a little kid!"

"I don't blame you. I know, I've been putting you through a lot recently, things you shouldn't have to deal with. But I need to ask you for a little more patience. Can you do that for me?"

"…Yeah!"

"Alright. Now," reaching back into the fridge, Squall grabbed the lettuce again, "let's get dinner going. I'm hungry, I'm sure you're hungry, and it's been a long day."

"Can I help again?"

"Of course."

An hour later the Leonhart boys had put together and consumed a satisfying enough dinner. Having managed to get all the dishes, pots, and pans washed, they had retired to the family room to lounge in front of the television. Squall could tell that Sora had had a stressful day. Now that his stomach was full and his brother was home, Sora was beginning to nod off, his eyelids drooping every now and then as he tried to focus on the show they were watching. Nudging him lightly in the side, Squall gave him a quick smile, "Tired?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah." Sora let out a soft laugh, "Guess so."

"Why don't you turn in for the night?"

"You sure?"

Squall nodded, "Since all the, excitement, recently at work, I'm taking a break from all that so we'll have all night tomorrow to hang out."

Nodding back with a sleepy smile, Sora slowly pried himself up off of the couch, "Okay! Good-night then."

"'Night. See you in the morning."

Squall watched as Sora strolled off towards his room, his eyes floating back to the TV as he heard the teen rustling around in the hall bathroom before his bedroom door closed. Settling back down, Squall let himself melt into the sofa a little more, never feeling so grateful for a quiet evening.

Only fifteen minutes later, that quiet was shattered by a sharp knock on the door. Immediately back on edge, Squall muted the television, tensing as he heard another knock, this time more demanding. Looking down the hall to make sure Sora wasn't coming out of his room, Squall slipped to his feet. Not having time to go all the way to his room for his pistol, he picked up a knife as he passed through the kitchen instead. He held it behind his back as he crept toward the front door, a third knock coming just as he reached the entryway.

Taking a breath to steady himself, he utilized the peephole, a gruff, annoyed noise escaping him as he spotted a familiar head of golden blond hair that seemed to stalk his doorstep. Squall flung the door open, resisting the urge to stab the butcher knife into the detective as he came face to face with Cloud Strife, "Do you know what time it is?"

The blond stepped forward, clearly intent on blocking Squall from closing the door, "We need to talk."

"We've talked. We've talked more than you deserve from the lame-ass crap you try to pull me in on."

He saw Detective Strife's eyes flash, "You want to tell me about what happened after you left the station?"

Raising a brow, Squall set the knife down next to his keys, noticing how the cop didn't even look down to check. The man's focus was disquieting but the fact that he wanted to know about what happened that afternoon caught Squall's attention. Deciding that it would be better to let him in than perk neighbors' curiosities, Squall moved aside, waving the detective in when he hesitated. "So you found out about that?"

"There's a wall on Market Street full of bullet holes, yes we've found out about it, the whole city found out about it."

"News travels fast."

"Don't be smart with me!" Detective Strife set down the briefcase he was holding, all his attention on Squall's face as the SeeD closed the door to keep out the cool air, "What happened?"

Taking a step back, Squall shrugged, not liking the tension he was feeling quickly building up, "What you'd expect, due to what we've been accused of. Someone took a potshot at us while we were walking to the train station."

"How can you be so casual about it! Someone tried to kill you on the street and you're just brushing it off like the weather?!"

"It's not like I'm okay with it! I'll admit, at the time I was scared shitless but I made it through alive so there's no reason for me to dwell on it."

"Dwell on i—Has it occurred to you that they're going to try to kill you again?"

"First of all, keep your voice down. My brother doesn't need to know you're here. Second, I'm not stupid, of course I know that. But I need to be able to live my life in the meantime. You can't constantly think about dying."

"You wouldn't have to worry about it if you just turned yourself in!" Throwing his hands up in exasperation, the detective nonetheless kept his voice low as he combed his fingers through his hair, his usually beautiful face marred by a deep scowl. "You clearly care about your family, your brother. If nothing else, every second you keep this up, you're putting him in danger! Do the right thing for once in your life—"

"Do not start that!" Hissing angrily, it was Squall's turn to advance on the other man, "Every single thing that I have ever done in the last two years has only been for the good of my family!"

"You sure do a hell of a job showing it!"

Squall's anger, which had been boiling too near the surface all week, slipped for a second and he grabbed Detective Strife's wrist, his voice a low, tight whisper, "Listen, you stuck-up bastard, I have had just enough of your high-and-mighty attitude! We haven't all had it easy! You don't know what I've been put through to get where I am, as god-awful as that place is, so don't start lecturing me again!"

The detective refused to back down, giving a sharp tug to test Squall's strength, "And you say I'm repetitive. All you say is how horrible your life has been but I've seen men in worse situations come up with better solutions than you have! Stop making excuses for yourself and at least have the guts to face the consequences of your actions!"

A small gasp escaped the blond as Squall shoved him up against the wall, "I have never made excuses!"

"It's all I've ever heard coming out of your mouth!" Scowling, the lawman struggled to break the soldier's grip, neon blue eyes sparking with a rage that only served to fire up Squall's own anger. "Things are getting dangerous! It won't be too long before people start getting injured! I could care less what happens to you but innocent people are going to get caught in the crossfire! If you have even a shred of conscience left, confess!"

"I'd rather face the Organization than rot in a prison cell!" Squall's hold tightened, the man forced to lean closer in order to keep the detective trapped against the wall. As he felt himself starting to lose control of their argument, it was the only thing Squall could do to keep any sort of upper-hand on the situation. "Why are you so persistent?"

Still trying to get free, Detective Strife jerked forward, "Because prison is where you belong! You're a thief and a murderer and everyone knows it!"

Squall pushed the blond back up against the wall, "Why don't you prove it then?!"

Apparently the other man had had enough of being pushed around. Tearing an arm free, he managed to reach a hand down towards his belt, a quick glint of cold metal the only warning Squall needed to know what was coming. Before Detective Strife could even pull his revolver out to defend himself, Squall grabbed the wrist holding the gun and with one hand, his other occupied pinning the blond down, twisted the detective's arm to force him to drop his weapon. Detective Strife let out a strangled cry of frustration as the handgun clattered to the hardwood floor. As he threw all of his weight into loosening Squall's grip, Squall was just barely able to keep him restrained, both of their breaths coming out in pants, chests heaving as Squall finally managed to pin Cloud with a shaky grip, their faces less than inches from the other's.

Squall wasn't sure who snapped first. It could've been him or it could've been the detective. He found that he didn't really care though as lips were suddenly pressed against his. Letting out a low rumble, Squall closed his eyes as their struggle for dominance shifted into their kiss. Everything that had been building up inside of him, all the anger, fear, attraction, anxiety, was being released all at once. He didn't know what he was doing anymore, only knew that it wasn't enough.

Automatically relaxing his hold on the detective's wrists, Squall's hands moved up to instead grab the blonde's head behind his ears, pulling the man in closer to deepen the kiss. The blond, who had seemed to be somewhat shocked into submissiveness until then, suddenly came to live in his arms, forcing his way forward until there wasn't any space left between them. Feeling a sharp sting on his bottom lip, Squall let out a small gasp, apparently the only invitation the detective needed, their tongues meeting along with the taste of blood.

As Squall's ability to think rationally began to wash away, the only goal he had in mind was a bed. Get to a bed. A bedroom where Sora wouldn't hear. Stumbling back, Squall haphazardly began to lead Cloud back towards the only room that he could think of, his parent's room. The other man didn't seem to have the same sort of patience and Squall nearly lost it in the hall as Cloud began to disrobe, jackets, ties, and shirts dropping onto the floor as Squall half-heartedly continued to push Cloud back.

Reaching the bedroom door at last, Squall shoved it open, separating from Cloud just long enough to shut it firmly and lock it behind them before roughly pushing Cloud onto the bed. Climbing up after him, the last of Squall's rational thinking disintegrated, his finally emotions boiling over as their lips reconnected.

* * *

The next thing he was consciously aware of was a white shaft of light hitting his face, Cloud letting out a small moan as he slowly let his eyes crack open. Rubbing tiredly at his face, Cloud let out a long breath, a dull stab of pain suddenly hitting him. Frowning in confusion, he carefully moved again, his heart stopping as he felt someone shift beside him.

That's right.

Last night he had gone to Leon's place to try and get anything, a confession, evidence, even an indirect admission of guilt. But to say that things went a little differently was the understatement of the year. Not to say that he hadn't enjoyed it at the time…

Steeling himself, Cloud rolled over so that his eyes landed on his bedpartner. Leon was still fast asleep, the covers drawn up to his waist as he lay on his back, his hair mussed from their previous activities. With that image, reality suddenly crashed down on Cloud and he felt the distinct urge to vomit. Or throw himself off of a building. Anything to get rid of the guilt and self-disgust racing through him.

Sitting up, Cloud cradled his head in his hands as he tried to think. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be a way out. So what if he had slept with his suspect? So what if they were suspected of murder and robbery? So what if—Damn it. If anyone found out about this he'd be lucky if he was just taken off the case. He could be kicked off the force, or worse, criminally prosecuted. Just because he lost it for one night.

But maybe the trip didn't have to be a complete failure. With another glance back at Leon to make sure that he was still asleep, Cloud carefully slipped out from underneath the sheets. Covering his mouth to smother a moan, he tripped over to his pants which had somehow found their way over to the other side of the room. Reaching into one of the front pockets, he pulled out a DNA swab he had brought along, never having expected to use it like this.

Technically, Leon had willingly given him a sample of his DNA, so it was legal evidence. Sealing up the swab, Cloud made short work of pulling on the clothes he could find nearby.

Once he had his belt buckle fastened he took a moment to look around the room Leon had pushed him into. Judging by the pictures on the walls it wasn't Leon's room. He was in a few of the pictures however, a younger him, and a younger boy, probably the brother Leon had mentioned earlier. The family photos showed a couple and their two sons living what appeared to be a relatively happy life, all the smiles in the pictures seemingly genuine. However, the frames of the photographs were all covered in a thick layer of dust and as Cloud took another look around, he realized that the rest of the bedroom's furniture had a similar coating of dust. The room looked like it hadn't been used for months. That meant that his parents were either living in another home or not around anymore. From the way that the master bedroom had apparently been sealed off, Cloud would have to guess that his parents had both died.

Cloud frowned lightly back at Leon, the brunette man still sleeping lightly on his side of the bed. Walking over, he fiddled with the DNA swab in his hands before slipping it back into his pocket. Resisting the urge to brush Leon's bangs off of his face, Cloud settling instead on a soft whisper, "Sorry, Leon. I'm going to get this case solved, for both our sakes."

A small crease appeared in Leon's forehead at the sound of the murmur, the man shifting slightly under the covers. A small smile flickered onto Cloud's face and he glanced at an alarm clock on the bedside table. 4:31am. Well, at least traffic would be good on the way back to Twilight Town.

Making sure to remain as quiet as he could, Cloud snuck out of the room, closing the door behind him slowly so as not to make a sound. He didn't let himself relax yet, remembering that the night before Leon had said that his brother was home, and continued to creep through the house. He had his fill of drama that day, all he wanted to do was get home and take a shower.

As Cloud moved down the hall he gathered up the remainder of his clothes from the floor. He forced down the emotions that were resurfacing at the sight, focusing on buttoning up his shirt. The only thing that he should be feeling now was relief that he had finally got a break in the case…But the feeling wouldn't come no matter how much he tried to force it.

He settled instead on letting a numbness seep in, that same numbness that entered his bones whenever he got a particularly disturbing case or arrived at a gruesome crime scene. He had to remember his job. It was just about getting through it; doing what needed to be done and putting it away when it was over. Simple as that. It had to be as simple as that or he'd go crazy.

Making sure that he had everything with him, including his handgun which had been kicked under a table sometime during the night and the briefcase he had left by the door, Cloud paused to listen for movement one last time. When only the continued silence of the home reached his ears, he picked up a set of keys placed on a small side table by the door. Finding the one that matched the lock on the door, he unhooked it from the key ring. Opening the front door, he pulled the door shut firmly behind him and locked it, slipping the key back through the mail slot when he was done. Even if Leon was a murderous burglar, Cloud's guilt would be a little too much to handle if someone from the Organization came during the middle of the night and killed him or his brother in their sleep.

With a sigh, Cloud walked around the corner to where he had parked. It was clear that he had been in a hurry on his way there by his parking job; he had pretty much parked at a 45 degree angle to the curb, having nearly took out a motorcycle that was parked up against the side wall of the alleyway.

Cloud jumped into the front seat, wincing as he hit the leather. It seemed that he shouldn't forget completely about what had just happened. The fact that physical activity should be kept to a minimum, for example, was something that should be remembered.

The drive back to Twilight Town was fairly calm, as he had expected. The only people on the road beside himself were commuters just getting off of the night-shifts and truckers bringing goods between cities before stores opened up for the day. The drive that usually took about two hours only took one and a half, the clock reading 6:17am as he pulled into the parking garage of his apartment complex. That gave him about an hour to get ready before he had to get back in the car to go to work.

Not wasting a second, Cloud hopped out and hurried up to his apartment. After sitting in his car for so long after waking up in another guy's bed, he really, really wanted a shower. A long, cold shower. With just enough time left over to pull on a fresh change of clothes and stuff some cold cereal down his throat for breakfast, he found himself back in his car.

Luckily the drive was a lot shorter this time and, before he knew it, Cloud was pulling into the police station parking lot just as the sun rose over the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Making sure that the DNA sample was still in his pocket, he slowly climbed the stairs up to the entrance.

As he walked past security Cloud jumped as a hand fell on his shoulder, "Woah there! It's just me!"

Rolling his eyes, Cloud looked back over his shoulder to find Axel standing behind him, "Give a little warning next time, won't you?"

"I tried! I was calling your name the whole time you were walking up the stairs."

Cloud turned his eyes away from Axel's curious stare as they began to walk back towards their office, "I had an, interesting night."

Axel laughed at his exhausted tone, "I'm kinda afraid to ask! It doesn't have anything to do with Leonhart does it? Did you end up going to see him again last night?"

"Yes, and yes." Reaching their office, Cloud pushed the door open and gratefully set his briefcase down.

"Well, gonna tell me about it detective?"

Instead of replying with words, Cloud simply pulled out the capped DNA swab from his pocket, waving it a bit in front of Axel's face before dropping into the shocked man's open palm. Axel stood, mouth agape, for a few more seconds before shaking himself off, "Are you serious? You got him to give you a sample?"

"Yeah."

"You're like some sort of miracle worker! And I was starting to think you were going crazy or something. Go figure."

"Can you get that down to the lab for me? Tell them it's a priority for analysis. We need those results asap." Cloud wouldn't admit it out loud but he was happy that Axel was so enthusiastic. He was glad to have the matter out of his hands.

He had just sat down at his desk when he heard the sound of Axel snapping open the cap to take a look at the swab, "Wait, don't contaminate th—"

"—Cloud?"

Knowing it was too late, Cloud heaved a sigh, "Yes Axel?"

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Probably."

"Please, please tell me you went through his laundry to get this."

"Not exactly…"

"Cloud!" Snapping the sample shut again, Axel slammed his hands down onto the top of Cloud's desk, leaning in as his voice lowered to a tense whisper, "You slept with our suspect?"

"Listen," Cloud paused a few seconds as he tried to think of any kind of viable excuse. Nope, nothing was coming to mind. "Yesterday was just a crazy night. I'm not even sure what exactly happened. The only thing that you need to worry about is that I got that sample."

Axel just stared at him before shaking his head, "Man…that is seriously messed up."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean the guy sleeps with you and you turn around and betray him the next day! That's kind of a low blow."

"We weren't going to get anywhere either way! Besides, Leonhart wasn't drunk or anything, he knew what he was doing."

"Still…" Axel shook his head, "And you just majorly compromised yourself too. If anyone finds out about this, you'll be kicked off the case."

"Which is why no one is going to find out about how I got this, right?"

Straightening up, Axel frowned down at his partner. For the first time in his career, Cloud suddenly understood how a suspect felt when they were being stared down by that condescending look all cops had mastered, "Well I won't tell if that's what you're asking. You know that's not what I do. But I'm certainly not happy with how this went down. In fact," Looking down at the DNA swab in his hand, he passed it across the desk so that it was sitting in front of Cloud, "if you want to get this sample processed, you take it into the lab. And I mean you, not you passing it off to Roxas. I don't want anyone else involved."

Cloud narrowed his eyes but didn't argue, simply slipping the DNA sample back into his pocket. Silently Axel walked over to his own desk and flopped down, the mood in the office clearly having been spoiled.

The tension remained for another few minutes before Cloud softly spoke back up, his voice much more thoughtful this time. "Hey Axel…"

"What?"

"How is it that we're the good guys, that I did what I did in the name of solving a crime, and yet I'm the one who has to feel the worst about it?"

Face softening, Axel waited a moment before leaning back in his chair, "I guess doing the right thing isn't always easy."

"Is it the right thing?"

"When it comes down to the basics, probably. Leonhart and his buddies committed crimes and they deserve to pay the price for them."

"Why does it feel wrong then?"

"Probably because you're backstabbing the guy you like. It's understandable."

"Thanks. You're so comforting…"

"No problem."


	11. Chapter 11

Hi all! And Happy Halloween!! ^^

I recovered from whatever illness had a hold on me and got the chapter done! Unfortunately, I may not be able to update in the usual week next time. You see, Halloween signals the coming of November and, with it, NaNoWriMo (google it). I've been participating for the last five years and even with all the craziness going on in my life right now I'm refusing to give it up. It's a stupid decision that I will probably regret very soon, but whatever. I apologize in advance for whatever effect this will have on my ability to update in such a timely manner, and I will try my best to keep the time between updates as short as possible! Thank you for putting up with my nonsense! ^^;

And thank you to Arid Tundra, flammula, Blah..., Clockwork Phoenix, Velvet Chaos, DeNiSaY60, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, A-chan, b4k4 ch4n, Aindel S. Druida, Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel, Shinimegami7, Dragi, , CloudedMirror89, Anonymous, MadeInHolland, ooXloveXoo582, Bane-Dane, FireHawk038, Nekotsubasa, krad, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, LoneBoy7, and RealityInABottle! I can't describe how awesome it is to hear from all of you! ^^

O

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

A small frown made its way onto Squall's face as he pressed against his pillow, his consciousness on the edge of dream and reality as he slowly woke. Something was off…not necessarily in a bad way, but still. The feel, the smell of the bed. Familiar and yet he felt like that's not where he was supposed to be waking up.

Stormy eyes finally flickered open and he stared blankly for a second or two until he was able to get his bearings. He was in his parents' room. Last night—Memories starting to click in to place and he sat up, eyes immediately searching for any signs of the detective. The other side of the bed had been abandoned, the sheets already cold, and the only articles of clothes on the floor were his.

Squall let out a soft grunt as he pushed the covers off of himself and shivered as the cool morning air hit his bare skin. Realizing that he was naked, he leapt out of the bed, his parents' bed, as if it had caught fire, his eyes widening as he looked around the room again. Last night, he hadn't been thinking, it had just been another bed, but this morning it was his parents' bed, his dead parents' bed. He had had sex with another man, the man who was trying to put him in prison, in his dead parents' bed.

Letting out a muffled curse, Squall quickly began to gather up his clothes and, as soon as he had pulled on his boxers he began to strip the bed of its linens. Everything was getting dry cleaned. Even if they hadn't actually touched it, it was going to get washed. Folding up all the sheets and piling them up near the door, Squall only felt ready to leave when he double checked the rest of the room twice for any stray articles of clothing.

Squall walked over to the door and, after opening it a crack to make sure Sora wasn't right outside, he slipped out, a scowl finding its way onto his lips as he noticed his shirt sitting randomly in the hall. Picking it up, he followed the hallway out towards the entryway and something on the ground by the door caught his eye. His house key was on the floor. His brows knit together as he bent down to pick it up. He never took it off of his key ring so why would it be on the fl—ah. Cloud.

Glancing up, Squall's eyes found the mail slot and his suspicions were confirmed. He must've left already then…Squall couldn't say he blamed the guy, although he was surprised he hadn't woken up when the other had left. Usually he was such a light sleeper but apparently good, rough sex knocked him out like a light. And yes, he would be the first to admit to himself that last night had been good, but Cloud would find that out only over his cold, dead body. He couldn't imagine what the detective must've thought when he had woken up next to him…Squall couldn't help the small pang of regret that went through him. Detective Strife was a demanding, stubborn ass but he must've looked beautiful when he was sleeping. If he had woken up earlier, maybe he would've been able to find out. Now he doubted that the detective would touch him with a fifty-foot pole, much less sleep in the same room with him again.

It made him wonder. If he hadn't been a criminal, would he and Cloud be able to think about having a relationship? Then again, would they even want one? The sex the night before had definitely been fueled by their mutual dislike for the other, Squall could feel it in the rough way that they had handled each other. If they didn't have that antagonism, that competition between them, would they even be interested in each other? Sure, Cloud would still be attractive, but it was the frustration Squall felt towards him that made him irresistible. It definitely wouldn't be so exciting if the circumstances were different.

As his thoughts began to settle, a long sigh escaped him. What the hell had happened to his life? He was a mercenary, then a thief, now a wanted criminal sleeping with the detective who was working his case…surely there was some sort of psychological disorder that could be associated with this…Self-destruction? Masochism maybe.

Either way, today things would have to change. Under suspicion from the law, pressure from the Organization, and by Zexion's orders, he would no longer be able to bring money in through his night job. Squall wasn't sure how long all of this was going to last but he and Sora were still going to have to eat and pay bills so he was back to square one. He needed a new job. And it was going to be legitimate this time. Something Cloud had said last night had got to him, how he knew people in worse situations finding better answers or whatever. There were hundreds of other people out there who had lost their jobs and needed to provide for their families, just like he did, and yet they managed to get by legally. If there was a way that he could do the same, Squall was determined to find it.

Walking back into his own bedroom, Squall grabbed a new change of clothes before walking across the hall to the bathroom to clean himself up. The shower was very much appreciated; some of the tension that had started to build back up in his muscles since he woke up beginning to melt away a little.

The noise of the shower running apparently roused Sora, the teen appearing in the bathroom doorway as Squall stepped out, "Morning…"

"I'm surprised you're awake so early."

Letting out a wide yawn, Sora tried to hide it behind his hand, "Yeah. School's today and stuff…"

"Hm, maybe you're not completely awake yet after all." Squall couldn't help but grin as Sora gave him a long, sleepy blink. "Are you going to take a shower?" Receiving a rod this time, Squall rested his hands on his sides, "I'll go get something started for breakfast then so we can get you out the door on time today."

Sora nodded again, although this time with a little more enthusiasm, and Squall relinquished the bathroom to his younger brother. Before he made it to the kitchen though, he made a bee-line for the front door to pick up the newspaper that was waiting on the doorstep. Squall moved back inside the house and unfolded the morning paper so that it was covering nearly the entire kitchen table, the wanted ads staring back up at him. And Squall remembered how much he hated job searching.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Squall shook his head and focused instead on making breakfast, a task that rewarded him with a much more instant gratification. Sora reappeared a few minutes later, the boy's brunette spikes still damp from his shower although he looked otherwise ready to go. Sora was immediately attracted by the paper and wandered over to the table, taking a seat as he scanned the upside-down print, "What's this for?"

"I'm switching vocations, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Sora's whole face seemed to brighten as he was reminded of the news, "So did you see anything good?"

"I haven't really looked yet."

Frowning at Squall's apparent lack of proper enthusiasm, Sora turned the paper so it was facing towards him. His blue eyes narrowed as he skimmed through the lettering, "There's not much in here…"

"I wasn't expecting there to be a lot. But it's a start. Here," Putting a plate down in front of Sora, Squall spun the page back around so that he could look at it from his seat on the other side of the table, "Eat and let me look, alright?"

"Fine." After a few minutes of inhaling his pancakes, Sora swallowed a particularly large bite. Reaching across the table, he pointed to a smaller ad near the center of the page, "How about this?"

Squall raised a brow, "'Florist'?"

"Yeah…"

"Really. You could imagine me working as a florist?"

"Yeah…okay, no, no, I definitely can't. But it has the best hours!"

"I don't need the best hours, or the best pay. I just want a job." Looking up to find Sora giving him an odd sort of look, Squall frowned, "What?"

"It's just that, it seems like you should have a better job. It just, doesn't seem fair, is all."

"Unfortunately my credentials aren't exactly great."

Pouting down at his plate, Sora another large bite of pancake, "Still, you work too hard."

"Maybe I like to work hard."

Squall smirked at the exasperated look Sora sent him, the teen managing the expression so well that even Zexion would've been proud. "Well you still shouldn't have to!"

Wishing that Sora was right, Squall let out a small chuckle, glancing off-handedly up at the clock in order to change the topic, "Will you be ready to go in ten minutes?"

Sora's pout returned, knowing that his concerns had been brushed off. Spending a few moments to clean his plate of any remaining pancake debris, he finally he let out a small sigh, "Yeah, I just need to grab my homework from the family room."

"Good. Go grab it and I'll give you a ride again today. Afterwards, I'll go into town and ask around about some of these jobs." This time, he would have to seriously try to get someone downtown to hire him. Before, he had had the thief job as a fallback but now that safety net had been pulled out from underneath him. Even if it meant working at a damn florists'.

Unable to complain since he was getting a ride, Sora bounced to his feet and went into the family room, Squall taking the opportunity to slip back into his own room. All that talk about working had remind him that he should probably prepare himself for the worst. Making sure that Sora hadn't followed him in, Squall opened his bedside drawer and pulled out his SeeD handgun. Holding it for a few moments, he couldn't help but admire the way the weight felt so familiar in his palm. As soon as he wrapped his fingers around the grip it became like an extension of his hand, albeit with some additional deadly force. Squall carefully tucked it under his belt, pulling out his shirt so that the fabric would do a little to hide the weapon from Sora.

His timing was nearly perfect; as he walked back into the kitchen, Sora walked out of the family room with a confused look, "Hey Squall?"

Squall reminded himself to stay calm; Sora's eyes hadn't even gone down to his belt, he wouldn't be asking about it. "Yeah?"

"Why is the TV still on?"

"What?" Standing up, Squall followed Sora back into the family room to see that the TV was still indeed on, the flashing pictures silent as they ran on mute. Oh. Last night he had been watching TV when Cloud had knocked on his door. After everything that happened, he had just forgotten about it. "I just forgot to turn it off, that's all."

Squall grabbed the remote, the TV flickering off as Sora's eyes narrowed just a bit. He was suspicious. "_You_ forgot to turn the TV off last night?"

"It happens."

"But you were always so strict about turning electronics and things off before…Did something happen last night while I was sleeping?"

"No Sora, nothing important happened."

"Nothing _important _happened? So something happened?!"

"Hey, do you want that ride to school or not?"

This shut Sora's mouth, but that suspicious edge to Sora's eyes was still there. "Fine. But I'll figure it out eventually!"

Rolling his eyes, Squall grabbed his leather jacket as he herded Sora back into the kitchen to get his things, "Not if I can help it…"

Sora perked up at the grumbled mutter, "What's that?"

"Nothing. Grab your backpack."

"Alright, alright! You don't need to push!"

Successfully managing to get out of the house and onto his bike, Squall dropped Sora off with a quick wave then sped back towards the center of Traverse Town. The city was already bustling about, despite the early hour and the crisp autumn air, Squall's hopes raised a little by the flourish of activity. With so many people running around doing business there had to be someone with an odd job available.

Parking his bike near a restaurant and bar close to the city's main gate, he started his search. He was going to go throughout the entire downtown if he had to, and go from shop to shop, even if it took all day. Taking a breath, he walked into his first stop, a restaurant. It wasn't even open for business yet but Squall wasn't discouraged, knocking sharply on the door to catch a woman's attention inside. She glanced up, annoyed, but put down her broom and went to the door, "What can I do for you?"

"Sorry for bothering you, ma'm. I just wanted to ask if you're hiring."

The woman frowned a bit, "Sorry love, we don't have any openings. Do you have experience in the food business?"

"No ma'm."

She shook her head, "I don't think we'll have an entry position opening for a while."

Squall nodded in understanding. It's not like he could really hold it against the woman, "Alright. Thank you very much for your time."

"Not a problem, love. Good luck!"

"Thanks."

Taking a step back onto the street, Squall glanced at the next shop over. It was a small convenience store that Squall himself had gone into a few times. They specialized in health supplies and specialty items that were hard to find at a regular supermarket. Stepping inside, the sharp tinkle of a bell gave away his presence and almost instantly three figures appeared at the counter. Squall blinked in surprise. They all looked to be fairly young, probably just out of high school, with light blond hair hidden under three baseball caps. The fact that they would've been identical if not for their clothing hinted at the fact that they were probably triplets. One of the boys leaned forward onto the counter, "Good morning! Anything you're looking for in particular?"

"Actually, I was here to see if you were hiring."

The boy's faces fell a bit at the thought of not making a sale and the one on the left answered back, "Unfortunately I don't think our Uncle's hiring. I'm pretty sure he already wishes he could fire one of us to he wouldn't have to pay us as much."

The boy on the right nodded in confirmation, "Luckily, we're family so he can't bring himself to do it!"

"I see." Squall had to wonder how much easier everything would be if he had some relatives left in town who he could guilt trip into giving him a job. "Thanks anyway." Glancing behind the counter, Squall motioned to an energy drink, "Actually, I'll get one of those." He had a long day ahead of him. A little extra caffeine would do him some good.

The three nephews were only too happy to oblige, one getting the drink while one went to the cash register, the last one going back to get another drink to restock the shelf. It was clear they had a good system going.

Leaving with his purchase, Squall quickly downed the drink out on the sidewalk. He was about to throw it into the recycling until he looked down at it and was reminded off that coffee cup incident earlier. Glancing around, suddenly aware that it wouldn't be too surprising if he were under surveillance right now, Squall heaved a sigh. Putting the drink can on the ground, Squall crushed the aluminum down with his boot and made sure that all the liquid was drained out before sticking it in his jacket pocket. Later he was going to have to do some research about how to remove DNA from things so that he could actually throw trash out in public again.

His next few stops were equally unprofitable. There was the toy store and the library and then the post office. Squall had had his hopes raised at the post office when he had been told there was an opening only to have his hopes dashed again as the man he was talking to continued by saying that they also ran obligatory checks on everyone's criminal record. Politely excusing himself, Squall left.

Looking up at the next store front, Squall frowned. Either that energy drink was already wearing off or he was already starting to get fed-up with looking. Neither bode well for the rest of his day. The next place looked similar to any other in Traverse Town, green and orange neon signs decorating the front and advertising the products sold inside. Jewelry, accessories…great. Well, he was getting desperate.

Pushing his way inside through a pair of wooden double doors, Squall's eyes narrowed as he looked around. He had been expecting some sort of feminine jewelry store but inside it looked more like a pawn shop. There were a few rows of counters with a multitude of things inside, ranging from the advertized jewelry to small handguns, the walls littered with random knickknacks for sale. Squall straightened up as he heard footsteps, his beliefs only confirmed when he saw a man come around from a back room. This was definitely a pawn shop. The scruffy-looking blond man appeared to be middle-aged, a pair of goggles on his forehead and the stub of a cigarette sticking out from the corner of his lips. The white t-shirt, jeans, and the orange jacket the man had tied around his waist were all stained with what Squall guessed was motor oil, and he smelled slightly like gasoline. "Whaddya want?"

"Oh, ah, I'm looking for a job."

"A job?" The man scoffed and rested his hands on his hips, "What'd, ya see a 'Help Wanted' sign on the door?"

"No, but—"

"What can ya even do anyway?"

"Anything you need me to do."

The man narrowed his dark blue eyes before smirking, "Good answer kid. Hm, let's take a look at ya." Squall stayed where he was as the man came out to inspect him, "Can you handle heavy work? Lift stuff up to a hundred pounds?"

"Yes sir."

"Hmph, 'sir'? What, were you in the military boy?"

"Yes sir."

"What branch?"

"SeeD."

"SeeD! All that fancy shit—" the man interrupted his grumble by sticking out his hand, "Captain Cid Highwind, kid."

Squall raised his brows in surprise, re-evaluating the man in front of him as he reached out and shook the man's hand. Underneath the gruffness, the influence of a military career was still evident if you looked hard. "Squall Leonhart. Army?"

"Air Force. I can fly darn near anything they make, even helped to build 'em back in the day. Looks like you've seen some action yourself. "

Squall nodded as Cid indicated to the scar across his face, "I've been in a fight or two. What are you doing here?"

"Earnin' a living, that's what. I just sell stuff no body wants anymore, run a parts shop outta the back. Man's gotta pay the bills, you know?" Squall heaved a sigh and nodded. Oh, he knew. Cid seemed to catch the sigh however and frowned, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth to knock off some of the ash, "So you're lookin' for a job then?"

"Yes sir. I'm pretty much willing to do anything for any pay."

"That desperate, huh? Well, it's just me here so it can get a little nuts here sometimes. I suppose having someone else around wouldn't be a bad thing." Squall perked up. Was Cid actually saying what he hoped he was saying? "Do ya like tea kid?"

"Tea?" What the hell? "I guess. I'll drink it sometimes."

"Hmph. Well, it wouldn't kill me to hire on some help…I suppose I could give you a chance, see how ya do."

Relief surged through Squall's body, feeling like a weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders, "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Now, the hours won't get great, and the pay'll suck, but at least it's somethin' right?"

"No, it's, no matter what it is, it'll be better than my last job."

"Sounds like a whole can a' worms I don't need to nose into. When can ya start?"

Squall looked up, trying to think everything through. The sooner he could get an income again, the better. But with everything going on, it might be better to stay home a little longer, just to see how everything was playing out. "Would it be fine if I come back in a week?" A week should definitely give him enough time to get a better idea of what his life was going to be like. Plus hopefully, everything would have a little time to settle down.

"Sure. That's fine. I don't really have any employee applications or nothing, so write down your information so I can get yer name in the books. When you come back, we'll work out yer hours and pay, alright?"

"That will work." Quickly writing down his name, address, and cell number on a scrap of paper Cid slid to his across the counter, Squall straightened up, "Thanks again."

"Happy ta help out, soldier. See you back in a week."

Squall nodded, "Yes sir, see you then."

This was it; he had a job again. But this time it was a real job, a legitimate job, something that he would eventually be able to write down on a resume. He wouldn't have to worry about where his income was coming from, or whether or not he would be able to deposit it into a bank without someone coming to arrest him. Even if both the shop and its owner seemed to be a little rough around the edges, Squall had no complaints. Heavy labor was one thing he knew he could do and Cid seemed like he wouldn't be too bad of a guy to work for. He seemed down to earth at least, and honest, two character attributes that would be refreshing after dealing with his old co-workers.

Cid let out a grumbled dismissal and picked up the paper with Squall's information scrawled across it, meandering into the back to file it away. Just as the man disappeared from view, Squall felt something vibrating in his pocket and started, his eyes narrowing as he pulled out his cell phone. Someone had sent him a text.

Waiting until he was back outside the shop, Squall flipped his phone open. He never got texts, no one he knew sent them. Pulling the message up only served to confuse Squall more. It was from Zexion. He could imagine Sora sending him one, but Zexion? Scrolling down, Squall began to read. _Org hit at office. Went to Dem music store, they were waiting. Watch your back._

A bit of the color drained out of Squall's face. The Organization had found Zexion all the way in Traverse Town. Since they hit him at the office, which Squall could only assume meant the city office where he and Zexion had first met, they must have known that Zexion was really Ienzo Corazza and tracked him down. What worried him the most was that the Organization seemed to know where Demyx was, if he guessed right about what Dem meant. Did that mean that they would go after Sora too?

It was hard for him to imagine how the Organization had found them so quickly until he remembered what Riku and Zexion had said the afternoon before. The Organization probably had an informant buried within the Twilight Town Police Department. That meant that the Organization knew everything about them that the police department did, which would include his and Zexion's home addresses since the detectives made it clear that they knew Zexion's real name and identity. The detectives had most likely done some research on him and Zexion, so it wasn't too far of a stretch to imagine that they had Demyx, and Sora's, names on file. All of this information was probably gathered by the police yesterday meaning that the Organization had probably had had the same information for around twenty-four hours now. It wasn't surprising that they would be able to make their move against Zexion so quickly.

Rounding the corner, Squall was about to step out into the main downtown plaza when he spotted them. On edge from Zexion's text, the men loitering around where his motorcycle was parked seemed like too much of a coincidence. Slipping back behind a storefront, his fears were confirmed as he saw one of the men shift, the fabric of his jacket pulling away for just long enough for Squall to see the glint of a handgun sitting in a concealed holster. It was clear he wasn't getting to his bike any time soon. He could draw his own gun and force his way through but starting a fire-fight in the middle of downtown seemed like it would be a very bad idea. If nothing else, he would definitely be even higher up on the Twilight Town detectives' list of criminals to put in jail. He didn't want to see Cloud again that badly. Pulling his cellphone back out, Squall flipped it back open, his fingers clumsily typing out his reply. _Theyre here too. Armed. What do I do?_

Squall checked back around the corner as he waited for a response, only turning his eyes away from the men when the phone vibrated in his hand. _Get out. Don't go home for a few days._

But what about Sora? _I need to get my brother_.

_He'll be fine. They'll probably locate him soon, use him to find you._

Was that supposed to make him feel better? Without his motorcycle, it would take him about an hour to run across town to where Sora was, and he would have probably gotten out of school already making him an easier target for the Organization. Still, he was willing to run that far to make sure that Sora stayed safe. He only hoped that he would be able to make it in time before anything happened. _Im going to get him._

_You'll get caught. Riku just pulled up, we're leaving town for a while._

Riku was with him? Wait, "pulled up"? Did that mean Riku had a car? That meant that they might be able to get to Sora before the Organization did. _Tell Riku to pick Sora up_. _Traverse High on 6__th__ st._

Squall held his breath as the seconds ticked by, without a response. Finally, his phone buzzed: _This is ridiculous. What are you going to do?_

Letting out a huge sigh, Squall shook his head. _I'll think of something. Call if theres trouble._

* * *

Zexion let out a noise of irritation and snapped his cell phone shut, Demyx looking on anxiously as Riku threw a small bag into the trunk of the car he had "borrowed" from one of his neighbors. "This is getting out of hand. We should not be placing ourselves responsible for a third party under these circumstances!"

"Shut up Zex, and get in the car. Demyx, you gonna to be alright?"

The musician nodded uncertainly, his sea-blue eyes on his boyfriend, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Xigbar said it's cool if I stay as long as I need to." They were currently standing in the driveway of Demyx's friend and fellow band-mate Xigbar. As soon as Zexion had ran to Demyx's store and spotted an Organization member "browsing" through aisle seven, he had whisked the blonde out through the back door. Thinking that it would be a bad idea for them to go back to their apartment, Zexion had taken them to a place that he thought Demyx would be safe for a while and called Riku to come get him. "But I still don't get what's going on, Ienzo. My boss is gonna be pissed that I skipped!"

"Look just, tell him that you started vomited and are violently ill, or that your brother died. Anything to keep you out of work for a few days. Those men that came after me will not hesitate to use you against me, so try to stay out of sight. I will call to let you know when it is alright for things to return to normal for you. I am sorry that you had to be brought into this."

Demyx let out a worried sigh, "Xigbar will take care of any weirdoes who come around, it's you I'm worried about. You're being chased around by armed psychos! And your leg's still broken!"

"I will take care of myself." Zexion jumped a little as Riku suddenly slammed his fist down on the car's horn, demanding that he get in. "We have to leave before we attract any of the wrong sort of attention. Be careful."

Standing on his tip toes, Zexion pressed a quick kiss to Demyx's lips, the taller blond looking momentarily shocked at the public display of affection before returning the gesture. Zexion fondly rolled his eyes at Demyx's surprised expression as he pulled away, "Remember, try to stay indoors and with someone until I call."

"Ah, okay." Hobbling over to the car, Zexion dropped down into the passenger seat. Following, Demyx tapped on the window as Riku started up the engine, "Come back soon, alright? And don't mess up your leg too much more!"

Zexion waved a goodbye and Riku took this as his cue and pulled away from the curb, smirking as Zexion's murmured, "I am not sure that there is any more damage that can be done to it…"

"Sure there is. Don't jinx yourself."

Glaring at him, Zexion adjusted his crutches that were laying awkwardly across his lap, "Shut up. I am not in a good mood."

"Can't imagine why. Getting jumped at your work, running to your boyfriend only to find him in danger too, and having to escape the city without being able to return to your apartment to get so much as a spare change of clothes…sounds like a great time."

"And you had to go and make it better by agreeing to pick up Leon's relative."

"Hey, it's my car. If you don't like the way I do things you're free to leave."

"Firstly, it is _not_ your car. You do not own a car and I am fairly certain you do not even own a license. Secondly, I would but given the fact that I cannot reach my own car due to the fact that my apartment is undoubtedly surrounded by Organization members. Though I would not even be able to drive it with my right leg in a cast."

"My point still stands. Besides, I owe Leon, and you know how much I hate that…"

"Indeed."

With urgency and Riku's rather unorthodox driving choices, such as not following traffic signals or speed limits, they arrived at Traverse High in record time. Pulling up to the curb just as the bell rang, Riku shifted into park, "You see any Organization members around?"

Turning around in his seat, Zexion scanned the area, his eye narrowed, "I do not see anything immediately suspicious although they usually try not to stand out. Make this fast, we should have been out of town half an hour ago."

"Right." Slipping on a pair of sunglasses, Riku stepped out of the car, leaving the engine to idle as he walked up to the front gate of the school. If they needed to make a fast getaway, he knew that Zexion would find a way to work the pedals, broken leg or not, so it was better not to turn off the car and take the keys with him.

A shrill bell resounded through the air just as Riku made it to the front gate, hordes of teenagers appearing nearly instantaneously to flood out of the building. As they rushed by, Riku kept his eyes sharp. Since Sora wasn't expecting him or looking for him, it would be up to him to spot the teen coming out. Just as Riku thought that he had missed him he sighted a head of oddly spiked brunette hair, a flash of sky-blue confirming his identity as Riku called out, "Hey Sora!"

Even with the distance between them, Riku could see Sora's confused expression, the younger Leonhart saying goodbye to the small group he was walking with before pushing his way over to the hitman. Riku watched as Sora's blue eyes danced around as the teen pulled his backpack further up onto his shoulder, undoubtedly searching for his brother, "Riku! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick you up kid."

"Really?" He now had Sora's full attention, although the kid didn't look any less confused, "Are you going to give me a ride home or something?"

"Sort of."

"Does Squall, er, Leon know about this?"

"Your brother was the one who asked me to get you. Now come on, I'll explain more in the car."

"You have a car?"

"Sort of."

Ignoring the student's questioning stare, Riku quickly herded him towards the street. He was growing more and more aware of the pressing crowds and the way that a man could easily sneak up on you with all the distractions. Although it was a crowded area in full daylight, it would be a prime location for a professional to take someone out. Riku would know. He'd been there before.

Sora seemed even more uncertain when he caught sight of Zexion sitting in the passenger side, taking a seat in the back at Riku's silent insistence. The silver-haired man only let himself relax as he climbed in himself and shut the car door, Zexion only sparing Sora a glance before motioning out towards the schoolyard. "You returned just in time."

"What's that?"

Zexion pointed outside and to a black SUV, eerily similar to the one that had been in the drive-by shooting the day before, "They just pulled up."

"Are you sure it's them?"

"Yes. They are probably looking for Sora here, perhaps they are aware that he would usually walk home."

Hearing the whole conversation, Sora leaned forward as Riku started the car, "What are you guys talking about? Who's looking for me?"

Riku replied first as he turned to drive in the direction that would take them out of the city, "Listen, we, meaning the two of us and your brother, kind of got ourselves into a bit of a situation. Long story short, those were bad guys who want to get you in order to kill Leon. This is Zexion by the way, he works with us."

"Wait, _kill_ him? What do you mean?"

Zexion spoke up this time, his voice clipped and tense, "He means to say that those men and the people they work for want the three of us dead. I assume Leon has explained the nature of our work to you?"

Sora blinked, worry for his brother welling up in his face, "I mean, I knew that he was doing bad things but I didn't think anyone would want to kill him for it! Where's Squall? Is he alright?"

"He will be fine."

"Where is he?"

"I am not sure."

Frustrated by the shorter man's answers, or lack thereof, Sora turned back to Riku, straining against his seatbelt to lean forward enough to see the man's face, "Did Squall really send you?"

"Yes, he really sent me. Don't worry," Riku glanced up into the rearview mirror just long enough to catch Sora's gaze, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright?"

"But what about my brother?"

"Once we get to a safer place we'll give him a call, but for now you're just going to have to trust that he's okay. He's a tough guy, he'll take care of himself."

* * *

Checking around the corners as he moved at a fast pace through the busy streets of Traverse Town, Squall kept his guard up as he wound his way through groups of shoppers flitting from shop to shop. He knew that Riku would take fairly good care of Sora since he had promised to pick him up from school. As much as he hated to admit it, the silver-haired man seemed to have developed an interest in his little brother for whatever reason. As disturbing as that thought was, it seemed to be working to Squall's advantage at the moment.

Without the worry of protecting Sora, Squall was able to devote his focus solely on trying to find a way out of his current situation. Being cut off from his bike, he was left with traveling by foot. The problem was that he had no idea if the Organization knew of his location, or if they were even actively following him. All he could do was to keep moving in the hopes that he would lose any would-be pursuer. He had thought about returning to Cid's shop but didn't want to get the man into any kind of trouble, especially when he had just hired him. He couldn't think of coming up with a better way to get fired before he even worked an hour.

As Squall rounded the corner he was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he just barely missed barreling straight into solid figure. Stumbling back, Squall's first impression was that this man was huge. He was making Squall feel scrawny, a sensation he had not felt for a few long time, since he was in high school. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attent—"

"Are you Squall Leonhart?"

Squall's blood ran cold at the thug's question and he stumbled back, his hand flying to his belt, "Are you with the police?"

"Not exactly."

That was all Squall needed to know. In the blink of an eye, his handgun was out but the man had been prepared and Squall found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. Clenching his teeth, he automatically dropped down into a roll, keeping his body moving as he saw the thug lunge forward out of his peripheral vision. A shot rang out and Squall heard somebody scream as he found momentary cover behind a wooden bench, returning fire as soon as he got himself upright. The thug, the Organization member, Squall's mind corrected, clearly was no amateur and managed to evade Squall's shots, kicking over a trashcan to serve as a shield.

The sight triggered something within Squall and he narrowed his eyes as he tried to keep his head straight. He hated close-combat situations in cities when there were civilians around. They never ended well, even if they could be considered a victory. Wincing, Squall watched as a stray round ricocheted off of the edge of the wooden bench, sending out a spray of wooden shrapnel. _Like the fountains of sand that flew up in his face as he hunkered desperately behind the ruined remains of an adobe wall._ A pained grimace worked its way onto Squall's face as he instinctually ducked down, laying down on his stomach as he tried to get in a good shot beneath the bench, _beneath the edge of a broken clay wall_.

_His helmet was doing nothing for him except obscuring his view, sweat pooling down from underneath his matted hair to drip down into his eyes. His unit had been chased into a small outpost in the desert that they hadn't known existed, women and children running screaming as the enemy began to open fire with their automatic rifle, desperate to hunt down the SeeD. Gasping for air and having only scorching dust fly down his throat, Squall fought to keep his composure. They were running low on ammo and trapped in an old, dilapidated structure. He was sure it was going to collapse down on them at any second as its wooden beams were riddled with gunfire. _

_Jumping as he felt a hand land on his back, Squall looked back to see Zell kneeling down beside him, the man's usually jovial face unusually serious. "Leon, we need to get out of here!"_

"_I know!"_

_The blond soldier looked back up and Squall realized that the tattoo on his face was nearly obscured by the sand that was streaking across his face and mixing with sweat to form a thin layer of mud. Suddenly his eyes lit up, "I got a plan! Cover me, alright?"_

_Squall didn't even have time to question or argue before Zell leapt out from behind the barrier. "Damn it, Dincht!" The only thing he could do was push himself up onto his knees and blindly open fired, at least serving as a distraction. Either way, Zell managed to make it across a large expanse of open area, ducking his head down with a tense grin on his face. Squall saw him flash a quick thumbs up and his walkie-talkie flared to life as Zell brought his radio to his lips. "--Good job Leon! Nothing even brushed me!--"_

"—_You'd better have a really good reason for pulling that kinda stunt!—"_

"—_Sure do! I can see them from here. There's only two of 'em!—"_

"—_What's your point? They still have guns!—"_

"—_They're standing close together! And there's only two of them!—"_

"_Oh." Seeing that Squall understood, Zell gave him another thumbs up and Squall pulled a flash grenade off of his belt. It wouldn't kill them but it would be one hell of a distraction. And since they were standing next to each other, it would affect them both and give them the opportunity they needed to escape._

_Holding his breath, Squall pulled the pin and pulled back his arm, hurling it as hard as he could in the direction of the enemy soldiers. He heard a hoarse shout as they saw the grenade flying towards them, Squall shielding his eyes before a blinding white light exploded. _

Squall blinked and shook his head, his vision fading from white to once again be filled with downtown Traverse Town, swearing as he heard the sharp "ping" of a bullet flying into the metal leg of the bench. Their fight was drawing attention, the wrong sort of kind for Squall as he again heard shouts, the Organization answering back a second later. Taking the risk, Squall averted his eyes from the action to see what was happening behind him, his grip on his own pistol growing tighter as he saw two of the men who had been hovering around his bike running towards them.

Knowing he wouldn't be receiving any reinforcements of his own, Squall made a break for it before the other hitmen could draw their guns. Squall kept his head low as he sprinting over to a nearby alley, wincing as he heard the first man fire his weapon again, the bullet missing him by inches as he threw himself down into a dive-roll. Grunting as he hit the cobblestone street, he forced himself up and vaulted over a pile of crates blocking the small side-street. The sounds of footsteps reverberated off of the stone walls of the surrounding buildings as the Organization members met up at the head of the alley, the three men running inside together to chase after him. The crates only slowed them down so much, giving Squall merely a few seconds of a head-start. Luckily, this time he had the home advantage.

Leading them down through a small area sandwiched between a large stone wall and the back of a local hotel, Squall ran for a back door of the hotel, releasing a small breath of relief when he found it to be unlocked. Slipping inside, he found himself in what looked like the hotel's supply room. He didn't take the time to look around, continuing straight through another door across the room and out into what he recognized as a back corner of the hotel lobby. He had been in the hotel only a few times as a kid, after all, he didn't often find himself needing to come into hotels when he lived in town. Keeping his gun hidden and his gaze down, Squall hurried passed the concierge and out through the main doors.

It seemed as if his detour had bought him a few moments to catch his breath but it probably wouldn't take the would-be assassins too long to figure it out. He needed help, there was no way around it. But Zexion and Riku were probably out of town by now and he wouldn't be able to call them back. He wouldn't want to call them back either, not since they had Sora with them. But he didn't know anyone else in tow—

Squall froze before shoving his hand into his back pocket. Fingertips finding what they were searching for, he drew his hands up to reveal two scraps of paper. A torn business card. Looking around, Squall ducked down behind a planter box, tucking his handgun back into his belt in order to pull his cell phone back out. Quickly dialing the number written across the ripped card, his eyes continued to scan the area, his ears listening desperately for the sounds of hurried footsteps as the phone rang.

Just as he heard voices talking loudly from inside of the hotel, someone picked up on the other line. "_Detective Cloud Strife here_."

"Cloud. I need a favor."


	12. Chapter 12

Hey dudes! Man, I can't believe I got this chapter out this fast! It may not seem all that amazing to you guys but consider the fact that I'm also on track with NaNoWriMo and have already written over 13,000 words for an entirely different story at the same time I was writing this!...Jeez I must be crazy. Good thing I like to write…

Anyway, as always, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed: b4k4 ch4n, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Nekotsubasa, An Antique Heart, Becca86, DeNiSaY60, Bane-Dane, Shinimegami7, flammula, ramen-is-my-goddess, , Clockwork Phoenix, Blah..., FireHawk038, Dragi, Neko-Tang, Anonymous, ooXloveXoo582, Aindel S. Druida, jaks-phantom, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Emerald Moonrose, MadeInHolland, and Hiki-chan! You guys are what keep me motivated and keep me going even when I feel like I never want to see a keyboard again in my life! I can't promise that the next chapter will be out so promptly (yes, this was "promptly" for me this month) but I can promise that I will try my best! ^^

O

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Chapter 12

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There was a long pause on the line, the seconds ticking by like days to Squall as he waited for a reply. Finally, Cloud's voice returned, his voice a little off, "…_Leon_?"

"Yeah. Listen, I need a favor."

"_I heard you the first time. How'd you get my number_?"

"You gave me your business card."

"_You tore it up_."

Squall grimaced before stuffing said torn business card back into his pocket to free up his other hand, "I hadn't thrown it out yet."

He heard Cloud let out an annoyed breath of air, "_Why are _you_ calling _me_ for a favor_?"

"Because, I don't have anyone else I can call—" A low curse escaped passed Squall's lips as the doors to the hotel were flung open, the three Organization members rushing outside. He ducked down further, knowing that if he ran now he would immediately be spotted.

Perhaps catching the cuss word over the phone, Cloud's tone grew more serious, "_What's going on_?"

"You know about the Organization from Dark City, right?" Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, Squall peeked out from behind the planter to see the Organization members beginning to head his way. They were going to find him soon.

"_Yeah. That tower you tried to rob belonged to them_."

"Well…Wait, hold on a minute." Squall switched the phone into his left hand so he could take his handgun back up into his right. Deciding that it would be best to try and escape now before getting trapped in a corner, he fired off a few rounds to try and distract them before leaping to his feet. As he had hoped, they had taken a second to find some cover, giving him the chance to stand and run in the opposite direction. As soon as they realized that he was escaping rather than making a stand, they began to open fire, forcing Squall to resort to evasive techniques he had been taught in boot camp as he sprinted down the street and around a corner.

Knowing that they would follow, Squall quickly darted down another alleyway. They were beginning to move back into the Second District and he was hoping to lose them in the more commercial areas. Pulling the phone back up to his ear as he ran, Squall panted into it, "You still there?"

"_Yes, I am, and what the hell was that_?"

"Gunfire."

"_Who did you shoot_?"

His accusatory tone made Squall let out a tense laugh, not an easy thing considering that he was still sprinting, "No one unfortunately. The Organization is trying to make their hit. I could use a pick-up."

"_Where are you_?"

"Traverse Town, west side of the Second District."

"_Alright, I'll be right there. Don't kill anyone_."

Squall frowned. What did he mean, he'd be right there? It took two hours to get here from Twilight Town, "What do you mean? Where are you?"

There was a pause again before Cloud spoke back up, his voice accompanied by the sound of a car engine starting up, "_Don't worry about that. How far are you from that bell tower_?"

"I can be there in about five minutes."

"_Good. I'll meet you there_."

Squall scowled as the line went dead, Cloud having hung up. The bell tower was only a few blocks away; he knew the area well because his house was only about a ten minute walk in the other direction. He didn't know what Cloud was doing but it wasn't like he had a better plan than to trust him. Frowning, Squall kept up his pace, willing his breath to stay steady as his boots pounded across the cobblestone streets. He was making too much noise but that really was the least of his concerns right now, speed the biggest thing on his mind.

Squall glanced back as he heard heavy voices echoing out from somewhere behind him and knew that even though he had lost visual contact with the Organization members didn't mean that he had lost them. Knowing that he was running right back into a populated area, he tucked his gun away again, not wanting to attract more attention than necessary or, worse, have his gun accidently discharge if his finger slipped. It had been a good decision because a moment later, he ran back out of the back alleyway and into one of the many open courtyards scattered throughout the district. A handful of kids who had just gotten out of school were hanging about, a woman with her child glancing over at him with a small, disapproving frown on her lips as he didn't slow his pace.

Seeing the small clock tower peeking up over the red tile rooftops from behind a line of houses, Squall pushed himself on. His chest was heaving by the time the whole building came into view, his grey eyes widening just a little as he spotted a car idling down at its base on the sidewalk. Hearing a loud shout, Squall realized that he had slowed down at the sight and burst back into a sprint as he saw the three Organization thugs run out into the courtyard. Having the car in view helped him forget about the pain in his lungs and in his legs and Squall didn't think he had ever run so fast in his life as he bolted for the vehicle. As he drew closer, he made out a head of blonde hair sitting in the driver's seat, the headlights flaring to life as he came within fifty feet.

Cloud leaned over and threw opened the passenger side door as Squall ran over, the SeeD barely slowing his pace before he launched himself into the car, slamming the door shut behind him, "Drive!"

Having seen the guns in the hands of the three men chasing Squall, Cloud didn't need to be told twice and stomped on the gas petal, Squall lurching to the side as he struggled to push himself upright. The tires on Cloud's car squealed plaintively before gaining traction and sending them flying forward, Squall grunting in surprise as Cloud drove right over the curb, the whole car shuddering as they landing roughly on the main street. Eyes whipping over to the window, Squall saw the three guys who had been chasing at him slowing before they disappeared from sight as Cloud roared down the street.

Righting himself, Squall heaved a breath and slowly pulled the seatbelt across himself, only turning to look at Cloud once he heard it lock in with a sharp click. "Thanks…"

The detective spared him a quick glance, Squall unable to stop the small spark that lit up inside of him as their eyes met again, if only for a second. "No problem."

Mentally brushing aside his feelings, he narrowed his eyes, "How did you get here so fast?"

He saw Cloud tighten his grip on the steering wheel before letting out a huff, "I was on a stakeout."

Squall's suspicion was only heightened further. As far as he knew, the only case that Cloud was working on right now was his, "What were you staking out?"

Cloud's lips drew down into a tight frown, his blue eyes darting over to Squall again before he seemed to give up, "I was staking out your house, alright?" The detective rolled his eyes, "I was starting to wonder where you were too…Of course you were getting into a gun fight..."

"It's not like I started it! And what were you watching my house for?"

"Because you are a suspect in my high profile case? Now are you going to tell me exactly what's going on or are you going to turn this into another interrogation?"

Cloud seemed unusually stiff, his face carefully and suspiciously devoid of any of the awkwardness Squall had been anticipating at their next meeting. Eyeing him for a moment more, Squall turned to look out the window, "Like I said over the phone, the Organization was making their move. I was separated from my ride so I had to try and escape on foot."

"What about the other two, Riku and Zexion?"

Squall opened his mouth then hesitated. If they were right, then there was an Organization informant in the Twilight Town Police Department. Any information he gave Cloud could put Riku and Zexion, and more importantly Sora, at risk, "They're hiding."

"I suppose that means that you're planning on going into hiding too then."

It wasn't a question so much as a statement of a fact, so Squall didn't bother addressing it, "Just drop me off at the city limits."

"Sorry, I can't do that."

"What?" Squall turned his head back around just in time to see Cloud's eyes redirect from his face back onto the road, "Why not?"

"I can't let you just disappear. You're a suspect in my case."

"I'm going to be a dead suspect if you don't let me go."

"Look, the police can provide you, Riku, and Zexion with protection until a trial date is set—"

"That could take forever, judging by your progress so far!"

He saw Cloud's lips tighten into a line before the blond finally met his eyes, "Maybe we're closer than you think to getting a break in the case."

Squall's brow furrowed at the detective's seriousness. It was like he was being warned and he didn't like the implications. Seeing his look, Cloud exhaled and instead of turning off onto the freeway on-ramp directed the car in the opposite direction, pulling up into the empty parking lot of an abandoned warehouse. Squall was about to ask what he was doing before the blond roughly shifted the car into park and unfastened his seatbelt so that he could bodily face his passenger, "You need to come up with a plan, right now."

Frowning, Squall crossed his arms over his chest, "I have a plan. I'm going to drop under the radar for a few days, maybe weeks, until people stop trying to kill me."

"You need a better plan. I'm not just going to drop you off in some field outside of town to let you wander off to gods know where!"

"It sounds like you almost care what happens to me."

Cloud scowled, "I care about being accused of assisting a criminal escape prosecution! If you leave now, who's to say you'll come back? Do you really think I'm going to let you out of my sight just before we manage to wrap up our investigation?"

"I'm a little more concerned about getting shot." Sensing that Cloud wasn't going to drive him any further, Squall wrestled his seatbelt off, "How about this, I'll let you know as soon as I get back into town?"

"That's not good enough!" Cloud's brow furrowed as Squall opened the passenger side door, "Where are you going?"

"I'll walk from here."

As he stepped out, Squall heard Cloud fumbling with his own door, "You bastard!" The detective climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut before walking around the trunk of the car to where Squall was standing. "I save you from getting shot down in the street and you try to skip out on me?"

"Sorry to disappoint."

Squall straightened up as Cloud stalked over, the blond man almost intimidating despite the one or two inches in height and shoulder width Squall had on the other man, "I can have you arrested you know!"

"For what, self defense?"

Cloud's blue eyes flashed dangerously, the look sending a spark through Squall, "For now, at least for carrying a concealed weapon!"

Squall tensed at Cloud's threat. If he was held in one place, there was no doubt in his mind that the Organization would find a way to get to him. Even if he was taken to the Twilight Town station for holding, the informant there, whoever it was, could put him at a high risk. "If you arrest me now, I'm as good as dead!"

"It's a chance I'm willing to take!"

Squall stared straight into the other man's eyes, "No it isn't."

"Oh yeah? How do you figure?"

Squall didn't answer with a verbal reply, instead ducking down to press their lips together in a kiss. He felt Cloud stiffen as he raised his hands up to cup the sides of the blonde's face, Squall's eyes falling shut as Cloud finally began to reciprocate. Feeling the detective's fingers run through his hair, he winced as Cloud suddenly fisted his brunette strands and gave a sharp tug, effectively separating them. Squall's eyes shot back open to find the other man panting, a very alluring blush spread across his pale skin and the blonde's voice trembling with anger as he murmured, "I hate you. I hate you so much."

About to respond, Squall was silenced as Cloud forced their lips back together, a small moan escaping the SeeD as Cloud deepened the kiss, both of their eyes flickering back closed. When the need to breathe became too great, Squall finally pulled away, a small smirk working its way onto his face as he took in the other man's composure. So he hadn't been the only one affected by their night together after all. "…You won't arrest me. Not right now anyway."

"Give me…give me one reason why I shouldn't."

"Because I can almost guarantee that if you do I won't last to the end of the week with the Organization after me."

"I'll hold you at the station then."

"It's not safe. The Organization has an informant in your station."

The news seemed to be like dumping a bucket of cold water over Cloud and the detective pulled further back, his eyes narrowing, "What?"

"I said there's an informant at your station. How else do you think the Organization located us so fast?"

"That's, it's ridiculous! Twilight Town's so off the charts it would never attract the Organization. And we haven't had a new employee come in for months!"

"Why would I lie about that? Every single detail you bring up about me, Riku, and Zexion puts us further at risk. Every time you get involved, the Organization follows. Going to the station would be like painting a big target on my back; they'd be able to keep constant tabs on me!"

"Well what the hell else should I do then, besides launching a massive department-wide witch hunt for your informant?"

"Let me run." Squall took a step back. If he could convince Cloud to let him go, he could call Zexion and meet up with them, wherever they ended up. Walking would take a while, but he could get there. Even hitchhiking might be low-profile enough to work. The train was out; judging by their previous thoroughness the Organization was sure to have men waiting there for him. Continuing to back up, Squall met Cloud's eyes with his own, "I'll wait until everything settles out then come back. I swear I will—"

He was cut off as Cloud unexpectedly drew his pistol from his belt holster, the blond moving too fast this time for Squall to do anything but stare, "If you take one more step back, I swear to god I will shoot you myself! Get back here!" Squall's stormy eyes hardened but he obeyed, walking back over to stand next to the trunk of Cloud's car, the blonde's mouth drawn back into a firm line, "What is it that you don't understand about the fact that I can't let you just skip town on my watch? I could lose everything; my case, my job, I could be criminally prosecuted for assisting a fugitive! Don't think for a second that I would give all that up for you!"

"Don't do this to me. If you have any feelings for me at all—"

Cloud didn't even let him finish, "A one night stand doesn't mean anything, and physical attraction doesn't have a thing to do with love! I hate who you are and everything that you stand for in my life! And I will not hesitate in using force to keep you from escaping. Got it?"

Squall nodded stiffly, unwilling to admit the small stab of pain Cloud's words had sent into his heart. "I got it."

A flash of regret swept through Cloud's eyes and for a moment Squall thought he had let some of his hurt show through. Seeing that the soldier was no longer trying to escape, the detective lowered his gun, his tone much more muted as he spoke next, "Good…Now, you called me asking for help." Slipping his handgun back into its holster, Cloud looked back up into Squall's face, his attitude now business-like, "And as much as I want to see you in jail for the burglary and homicide, I don't think that the Organization should get to be judge, jury, and executioner. As the lead detective on this case, part of my job is to make sure that my suspect makes it to the defendant's stand. What can I do, besides letting you run, to keep you alive?"

Squall snorted, his arms moving back to cross over his chest, "Find me a place to hide for a while, without letting anyone else at the station know about it. The only person I trust not to be the Organization's informant is you; you're too self-important to be bribed."

"You can trust my partner, Detective Flynn."

"No, I can't."

Cloud seemed to bristle at this, his gaze falling to the side, "It's not Axel..." He fell silent for a moment before shaking off his thoughts, "But besides that, I can probably arrange some sort of safe-house for you. It'd work better if you were able to convince Riku and Zexion to join in."

"We'll see about that…" Squall's voice trailed of as something caught the corner of his eyes. Following his instincts, he turned his head to get a better look, his eyes narrowing as they found what had stolen his attention. It was a black SUV, the glare of the setting sun catching off of its windows as it made its way down the city street toward their location. In any other case, Squall would've chalked it up to paranoia but in this instance, anything was possible.

Noticing that he had become distracted, Cloud frowned as he picked up on Squall's sudden unease, "What is it?"

"That car…it's the same model."

"As what?"

"As the car that nearly took me, Riku and Zexion out in that drive-by yesterday." Gaze never leaving the car, Squall's eyes widened as the SUV failed to turn onto the on-ramp. That meant that they were coming this way. There could only be one reason for that. "We should take cover."

"What, you think they're going to try and shoot you?" Cloud eyed the approaching vehicle warily as it turned into the parking lot, "If that's really the Organization, and they know as much as you say they do, then they should know who I am and know better than to try and—oof!" Cloud let out a grunt as Squall suddenly roughly tackled him to the ground behind the side of the Cloud's car just in time to avoid a round of gunfire.

Neon blue eyes widened before Cloud grimaced and smacked Squall as the brunette shielded the lithe man with his own body, "Get off! Get up and into the car!"

Squall growled at the punch, grabbing Cloud's wrist to make him stop, "You're welcome by the way."

"This isn't the time! Move!"

Trying to stay low, Squall reached up for the driver's side door handle as he heard the tires of the Organization's SUV screech. They were turning around for another go. Wrenching the car door open overhead, Squall pushed himself up onto his knees so that he was straddling Cloud. Ignoring their position, he jumped up into the car, having to crawl over all of the gadgets in the center divider left over from the vehicle's days as a police cruiser. Cloud followed soon after, shoving Squall down into his seat to make more room before slamming the door shut behind him. Just in time too; just as Cloud's hands touched the ignition key, another volley of bullets rained down on them.

Throwing his hands up to shield his face and eyes, Squall let out a breath as he realized that the shower of glass he had been expecting was not coming. Looking over he realized why. The car windows were spiderwebbed with fracture lines, bullets reaching half-way through the glass, but they hadn't shattered. They were the same bullet-proof windows the car had been issued when it was a police cruiser.

His attention was redirected to his left as the car's engine roared to life, Cloud's knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. "You might want to put your seatbelt on."

Heeding the advice, Squall quickly drew his seatbelt across his chest, snapping it into place as he watched the black SUV swerve again for yet another go. Cloud apparently had them in his sights as well, shifting the car into reverse as the SUV accelerated towards them. "Hang on, this will get bumpy." Squall didn't need to be told twice and braced himself against the dashboard as Cloud gunned it, sending them flying back. The detective had twisted around in his head so that he could look back over his shoulder and through the back window, a frown of concentration on his face as he steered them back through the empty parking lot.

The driver of the SUV wasn't deterred however and kept pace, "Cloud, they're catching up…"

"That's alright, we're almost there."

"Almost whe—ah, shit!" Squall held on as suddenly the car bounced up over a curb, having reached the end of the parking lot. Whipping them around, Cloud steered right over a neglected planter box that separated the parking space from the main road, dirt and plant debris flying up into the air as the tire tore through the soil, the car giving another jolt as they bounced back down onto the street. Not even waiting for the car to come to a full stop, Cloud threw it into drive, the sudden change in direction causing Squall's stomach to lurch.

The black SUV was hot on their tail, not having been slowed at all by Cloud's off-roading detour. "Can't this thing go any faster? They're gaining on us!"

"This isn't exactly a new car. It's got horsepower but I don't think we'll be able to outrun them!"

Turning back around in his seat, Cloud slammed the gas pedal down again to try and get them to the on-ramp to the freeway. Glancing over, he motioned towards one of the panels mounted on the dash, "Switch on the radio for me."

Finding the proper label, Squall flipped a switch and a soft static filled the air. Cloud reached out and snatched the radio up, "This is Detective Cloud Strife of the Twilight Town PD requesting immediate assistance. I've got a two seventeen, shots fired, being pursued by a black SUV, license plate number unknown. Do you copy?"

A second passed before the radio flared back to life, "--Detective Strife, this is dispatch at Traverse Town PD. What is your location?--"

Cloud glanced hesitantly over at Squall who grabbed the radio from him, "The northbound intercity on-ramp on the east side of the Second District."

"--Copy that. We're sending someone out to you now. All units be advised, we've got an eleven-ninety-nine, northbound on the intercity highway, east side of district two. Eleven-fifty-six, officer being pursued with shots fired. Any units in the area report to location immediately for assistance—"

Squall hooked the radio back in its place, looking back as Cloud sped up the on-ramp and onto the highway, the blond checking the traffic before careening onto the freeway. Once again bracing himself against the dashboard, Squall prepared himself for the screeching of breaks and a collision but Cloud seemed to have maintained control of the vehicle despite the wild driving, quickly pulling into the fast lane to try and avoid slower traffic. As Squall glanced over his shoulder, he noticed something strange. The black SUV had gotten onto the freeway as if to follow them but was staying in the far right lane, quickly falling out of sight as Cloud gunned the engine. "Hey, you're losing them."

"What?"

"They're not following. Either the driver suddenly got shy or their giving up."

Slowing his speed to a somewhat less manic pace, Cloud searched his mirrors for their attackers, "Why are they giving up now? It doesn't make sense."

"Don't ask me."

"Why not? They were after you and you seem to have a better idea of what's going on than I do right now…" Cloud growled out this last part and Squall knew he still must be thinking on the idea that they had a rat lurking in the Twilight Town Police Department. When Squall failed to reply, Cloud let out a sigh and snatched the radio back up, "This is Detective Strife. Code four, pursuer has abandoned the chase. Lost visual contact on the intercity highway."

There was a short pause before the dispatcher responded "—Ten-four. Do you need any further assistance?—"

Cloud scanned the roads one more time before shaking his head, "Negative."

"—Understood. All units, be on the look out for suspicious black SUV coming off the intercity near district two.—"

Motioning for Squall to flip the radio off again, Cloud shook his head again and he hung the handset back up, his brows narrowed in confusion. "I still don't get it."

Squall frowned, "I doubt they've given up. I wouldn't be surprised if they fell back but are still keeping tabs on us."

"You sure know how to make a guy feel at ease…" Straightening up in his seat, the blond relaxed his death grip on the steering wheel a little and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his cell phone, "But in the meantime we should get you to a safe place."

"Who are you calling?"

"Axel."

"Why?"

Cloud gave Squall an annoyed expression, "Because the only convenient place I can think of to take you is his house. He lives out in the country right now, about half an hour away from Twilight Town. If you gave me a week, I could have set up something else but we don't have that kind of time. The sooner we get off the road the better."

Uneasy at the idea of bringing yet another detective into this mess, Squall nevertheless settled back into his seat to let Cloud make his call.

The phone rang a few times before Squall heard someone pick up, the volume of their voice loud enough to let him heard the whole conversation. "_Yo, Cloud, what's up? Did you find anything at Leonhart's place?_"

Squall raised a brow at the statement but Cloud only threw him a frustrated look. That's right. Cloud had been in Traverse Town in the first place because he had been staking out his house. "Listen Axel, there was a change in plans."

"_Uh-oh. Why do I have a bad feeling about what you're going to say next?_"

"Yeah," Cloud stole another glance at Squall before turning his attention back to the road, "Leon called me while I was out."

"_What? What the hell for?_"

"Turns out the Organization got to him and he needed protection. I picked him up; he's here in the car now."

"_What?! Can he hear me?_"

"Probably, your phone's always so loud I can barely hear myself think…" Squall gave a small nod and Cloud confirmed it, "Yes, he can hear you."

"_Well shit. He's not giving you any trouble, is he?_"

"Like you wouldn't believe…I'll tell you the whole story when we get to your place. You're home, right?"

"_Wait, wait, what? Yes I'm home, but what do you mean you're coming over? Now?_"

"Yes, now. Why, is that a problem?"

"_Sort of! Besides, I would like a little warning before you start inviting murderous psychos over to my home!_" Squall scoffed a little at this but Axel apparently hadn't heard, continuing on, "_I also sort of have a life on my day out and company wasn't exactly—_"

"_Hey Ax, who's on the phone?_"

Squall saw Cloud tense as a second male's voice came on, his voice holding a dangerous tone to it that even Squall hadn't heard before as the blond held his cell phone closer to his face, "…Axel? What is Roxas doing at your house?"

"_What? Oh, um—_" Squall blinked as he heard the sounds of muttered voices come over the line before Axel's voice returned, "_Just to hang out, is all. No big deal right? Anyway, uh, how long are you going to be?_"

"One hour. And if I find any sign that you did anything else besides 'hang out' I will make you regret it."

"_Gotcha. See you soon then!_"

Cloud scowled down as Axel hung up before shoving the cell phone back into his pocket. Curious over who could make Cloud have such a reaction, Squall raised his eyebrows, "So Roxas would be--?"

The blond looked over before rolling his eyes, "My younger brother."

"And he and your partner, have a thing?"

"Hell if I know. I try to stay out of it." Squall gave a small hum and Cloud eyed him, "What?"

"Nothing. You just always seemed more like an only child to me."

"Since I think that was supposed to be an insult, I'll ignore it. In the meantime, how about you call up your buddies and tell them to meet us at Axel's place?"

Squall's eyebrows rose further but he reached into his pocket to pull out his own cell phone, "You really think that's a good idea? Telling guys like that where one of the detectives who is working their case lives?"

"Axel already agreed to let _you_ come over, didn't he? What difference is two more criminals going to make?"

"Alright, your call, your funeral." Ignoring Cloud's chilling glare, Squall dialed Zexion's number. He hoped that they were alright. It had already been about an hour since he had spoken with them last. A lot could happen in an hour when the Organization was after you. Ever since he had gotten into Cloud's car he had started to second guess his decision to have Riku pick Sora up. He hadn't even been sure that his brother would've been in trouble but now, in the hands of two desperate criminals, he definitely would be. A million scenarios had run through his head about how Sora could've gotten hurt or could've gotten into trouble.

The phone rang once before Zexion picked up and this time it was Cloud who had to sit by and listen to the conversation unfold, although Squall was fairly sure that the detective wouldn't be able to make out what Zexion was saying on his end, "Z…Ienzo," Squall caught himself at the last minute, Cloud shooting him a small look of amusement. "Are you guys alright?"

"_Ah, Squall. Yes, we managed to make it out of town without incidence. Are you by chance in the company of a law enforcement officer_?"

Zexion's medication must have been wearing off since the man was sharp enough to catch the meaning behind the usage of his real name. "Yeah. It's a long story but basically, I'm with Detective Strife right now. He says he'll offer us protection in exchange for keeping us in town."

There was a pause before Zexion spoke again, "_I am not sure I am completely comfortable with that arrangement. However, seeing as I believe we are being periodically followed by the Organization, protection, no matter what the source, is tempting. Hold for a moment_."

The line went silent, Zexion undoubtedly covering up the receiver as he discussed the options with Riku. After three long minutes of being put on hold, Zexion finally uncovered the phone, "_After having spoken with Riku about it, we have come to the agreement that the best choice of action, given our unfortunate circumstances, would to be to accept the detective's offer, but only on the condition that there will be no legal strings attached._"

Apparently Cloud had better hearing than Squall had thought because he leaned over and spoke into the phone loud enough for Zexion to hear him, "Don't worry. You won't be arrested or anything like that. Like Leon said, this is just to keep the three of you from disappearing on us. This plan was made way too offhandedly to be anything more complicated…"

"_I see_." Cloud straightened up again and continued to eavesdrop, "_Then where should we drive to_?"

Squall glanced over at Cloud, "I'll text you the address so there's no mistake but start heading towards Twilight Town. We're heading for a residential address about half an hour out of town. Before you hang up, did you pick Sora up?"

"_Yes, he is with us. You were right to be worried about him by the way; they arrived at his school just as we left._"

So the Organization had gone after him then. He had been doubting that they would sink so far as to use a boy to get an upper-hand; apparently he shouldn't underestimate what they were capable of. "Let me talk to him."

Squall heard Zexion let out a small huff but, after the sound of some jostling, he heard Sora's voice. "_Squall_?"

"Yeah, Sor. You alright?" Catching Cloud's eyes on him, Squall turned to face the car window to avoid the man's gaze. He wanted his family matters to remain private.

"_I'm fine! We've just been driving around in circles pretty much. Riku's trying to lose the bad guys._"

"Good. I'll see you soon, okay? Take care of yourself until then. Hand the phone back to Ze—Ienzo." Damn, that was hard to remember.

"_Okay. Bye!_"

Murmuring a quick good-bye back, Squall waited until the rustling from the phone being passed from person to person stopped before talking again, "So Ienzo, as soon as I hang up I'll text you the address. Will you be able to figure it out from there?"

"_My phone has a GPS application, but if I require assistance I will call you back._"

"Okay. And if Riku starts driving badly, tell him to knock it off for me."

"_You need not worry about that. I would not let Riku drive if doing so would put my life at risk._"

Of course not. He should have expected that answer. "Alright. Just get the car here in one piece."

Ending the call, Squall got Axel's address from Cloud and, as promised, promptly sent it as a text to Zexion. Watching as the message was sent out, Squall let out a breath. Sora had sounded fine when they had spoken, maybe a little stressed out, but physically fine. That was pretty much the most he could ask for right now.

"Sora's your brother, right?"

Squall glanced over at Cloud before tucking his cell phone away. It would be stupid to lie, since Cloud probably already knew full well that he had a brother named Sora if he had done any sort of background check. "That's right."

"Why is he with Riku and Zexion? Is he involved in this whole mess too?"

Squall's grey eyes sharpened defensively, "He has nothing to do with this! That is until the Organization brought him into it. They went to his school to try and pick him up but Riku and Zexion got there first."

Cloud actually looked concerned. Apparently it was no surprise that Organization was after Squall but having an innocent being targeted as well bothered him. "They went after your brother? To try and gain a hostage?"

"I'm not sure. Whatever they did, it wouldn't be good. They went after Demyx too, Ienzo's roommate."

"Is he alright?"

"I think so. Ienzo didn't mention anything about it so I assume he handled the situation."

Frowning, Cloud turned a thoughtful gaze back towards the road, "I could have the Traverse Town PD to send out a plainclothes unit to watch his location."

"I don't think Ienzo wants the police involved."

Cloud's frown deepened, "You can call him 'Zexion' you know. Axel and I both already know we have the right guy."

"I don't want to incriminate him."

"Your calling him Zexion won't do much to close our case. Besides, it's not like this conversation is being recorded, it's off the books."

Squall hesitated then gave a small nod. He still couldn't let himself relax too much in Cloud's presence. Cloud had already made it clear that his first priority was to put him, Riku, and Zexion behind bars. "Off the books" or not, if he said anything too damning he was certain that the detective wouldn't hesitate to use it against them.

After that silence fell between the two, although it wasn't as uncomfortable as Squall had expected it to be. Cloud was more at ease now that they weren't being directly followed by the Organization, and, sitting up in the front, Squall could see now that Cloud seemed to genuinely enjoy driving. When they weren't arguing or fighting with each other, Squall had to admit that Cloud made a decent companion, perhaps because of the fact that he didn't say much.

They drove down the highway for about forty five minutes before Cloud merged onto a country road. The pavement was old and cracked and Cloud skillfully maneuvered them around lines of potholes that littered the area. There were houses about every quarter mile nestled back behind a large front yard and a dirt road driveway. It looked like a few people had started up a small personal farm in their backyards, other yards littered with small groves of trees. It was quaint but Squall was having trouble wrapping his mind around the idea that Cloud's partner lived out here. If he had learned anything about the redhead it was that he certainly did not act like a country boy. "Axel lives all the way out here?"

Cloud seemed to understand the question and a smirk slipped onto his lips, "It's strange, huh? From what he's told me, it was his grandparents' house. When they passed away, he moved in because the rent was free, as he puts it. He says he hates it but can't afford to move."

"I'm sure there are some benefits…"

"None that he's interested in. He keeps talking about renting an apartment in downtown Twilight Town but I don't think he can find it within himself to sell the place."

After about five more minutes of driving, Cloud drove down a side road and slowed his speed. They were in front of house that Squall could only describe as charming. It was small, probably only with two bedrooms, with white siding and navy blue roof tiles. The small porch out front was surrounded by a row of hedges and led up to the front door and a large bay window. It definitely was not somewhere Cloud's redheaded partner belonged. "This is it?"

"This is it. Before we go in, I'm going to try to radio Twilight Town." As Squall opened his mouth, Cloud motioned for him to be quiet as he grabbed the handset, "Don't worry, I'm not going to mention details."

Reaching over, the blond flicked the radio on before pressing down the button to talk, "This is Detective Cloud Strife, calling for Twilight Town PD. Twilight Town, do you copy?" The detective frowned as he was met with silence, "Twilight Town, do you copy?"

He fell quiet to wait for a reply and Squall glanced around. He had worked a lot with radios in SeeD and knew something about the ranges of the radios they used there. "Maybe the signal doesn't reach out here."

"Hmm, maybe. I'll give it one more try." Holding down the button again, Cloud spoke into the receiver, "This is Detective Strife calling for Twilight Town PD. Do you read me?"

A minute passed and Cloud let out a sigh. Reaching over, he was just about to turn the radio back off when a voice echoed back at them through the light static, "—Detective Strife, this is Twilight Town PD.—"

Cloud smiled a bit and Squall couldn't help but be surprised at the clarity of the reception. The Twilight Town Police Department apparently had better radios than SeeD did. He would need to talk to Seifer about that when went back out. If he managed to get back that is. The way things were going now he wasn't sure if he'd ever make it back to the desert again. The city was turning out to be just as much a war zone as the battle field was. "I want to call in my location" Cloud listed Axel's address by memory and Squall wondered how often the blond drove all the way out here to visit his partner. "It's about thirty minutes south of Twilight's city limits. I will be off-duty for the next twenty-four hours. Please inform the station of my absence."

"—Copy that. We'll let the PD know.—"

"Thanks. Strife out."

Squall gave Cloud a look as he turned the radio back off, "You went to all that trouble just to tell them you wouldn't be back to the office? Why didn't you just call someone?"

"Because the PD is a bureaucracy. To make a leave of absence official, you have to jump through certain hoops and calling it in through dispatch is an easy way to avoid paperwork. Since they have my location, they won't try to call me while we're here either, which means that I'll have to explain less to my supervisor, which is always best."

Squall took one more look around as Cloud turned the car down onto the long dirt driveway. The location was good in that it was isolated, but that same isolation could lead to problems down the line. "Are you sure that this is a good move? If the Organization finds out that you and Axel are harboring us out here, they'll probably come after us. And I doubt they'll spare you or Axel a second thought if you get in their way, even if you are cops."

"I wouldn't expect them to. But they would have to know a lot about the situation to come looking for you here. First, they would have to know our location and how to find the place. Second, they would need to know that I hadn't dropped you off somewhere, like a jail cell, before I came here. And third, if they wanted to try and get you they would need to catch us by surprise to get the upper hand. Hardly anyone drives down these roads and you can hear cars coming from about a mile away so we'll know. It's not the best solution, but it's the best one that I could come up with on short notice so it'll have to do. Now," putting the car into park, Cloud stared at the bay window as he unlatched his seatbelt, "let's go find out what Axel and Roxas have been up to…"


	13. Chapter 13

Wahh! I'm sorry for taking so long! But November's sort of turning into month from hell as far as schoolwork is concerned (and NaNoWriMo doesn't exactly help the situation…). To make up for the wait, I am attempting to bribe, I mean, gift you with a chapter that is longer that usual. This is definitely the longest chapter I've written for a story (perhaps the longest I'll ever write for a story). We'll see if it works… ^^;

As always, thank you so much to: Clockwork Phoenix, Emerald Moonrose, Becca86, Shinimegami7, DeNiSaY60, flammula, CloudedMirror89, LoneBoy7, Bane-Dane, Arid Tundra, Love-in-the-Stars, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Dragi, An Antique Heart, jaks-phantom, Nekotsubasa, Canderjack, SlippingSanity, Aindel S. Druida, ramen-is-my-goddess, b4k4 ch4n, , RealityInABottle, iShiznitch, ooXloveXoo582, xacilia, and . Oh, by the way, _300 reviews?!?!?!?!_ You guys are awesome! XD

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Chapter 13

A sharp knock from Cloud on the front door was all it took to make Axel appear, the redhead grinning at his partner, "Well, you got here fast."

"Yeah. Where's Roxas?"

"Relax, he's in the next room watching TV." Axel's grin fell away as he finally met Squall's eyes, "Now, before you let this guy into my home, mind tell me what's going on?"

"Inside." Axel's eyes narrowed suspiciously but after a moment's pause he nevertheless stepped aside and allowed both Cloud and Squall to come into the front room, closing the front door behind the two men.

"Alright, we're inside. Now spill it blondie."

Cloud frowned at the nickname, and gave Squall a quick glance before speaking, "Not much to say besides what I told you over the phone. He was getting shot at and asked me to pick him up. He needs a place to stay for a while until the Organization lets up a little pressure."

"So you decided to bring him here why?"

"Because it's out of the way and we'll know if anyone's coming for him before they get here. Besides, it's your job to makes sure he stays alive too."

"Funny, I don't remember letting criminals stay in your house being part of the job description."

Squall frowned; they were talking about him as if he wasn't standing right beside them. Giving Axel a dry look, Squall put his hands into his pockets, "Personally, I'd be fine not staying as well, but you'd need to convince Cloud that I could run off on my own."

"Woah, hey, what's with the first name basis there, pal?" Turning to Cloud, Axel gave him a hard look, "Are you still compromising our case?"

Cloud's gaze grew fridged, "No Axel, this isn't about that."

"You sure? Because you're not acting like the Detective Strife I know."

"That's because we work in goddamn Twilight Town! We've never had to deal with anything like this before!"

Axel fell silent, his jaw tightening, "Look. Next time, think of a different plan, alright? I'm not a fan of your current one."

"Okay." Cloud paused, his sharp blue eyes flickering back to Squall before he continued, "On that note then, I figure I should let you know. You have more guests coming."

Axel's eyes narrowed, "Yeah? Go on."

"I figured that it would be good to get all our perps in the same location, so I may have instructed Leon to call Zexion and Riku and ask them to meet us here."

"Really? You really invited _more_ psychos over to my place? My isolated country home where I sleep at night and which would be a ridiculously easy place to exact revenge on the detective who put said psychos away in jail?"

"Pretty much."

"You're an ass."

"I suppose I deserve that. But, while we're on the subject of deserving things, where's Roxas?"

Axel rolled his eyes, "He's in the next room, like I said. Go in and see for yourself if you don't believe me." As Cloud made his way toward the adjacent room, Axel green eyes drilled into Squall before he tilted his head, "You come too. I want to keep an eye on you."

"Thanks, I suppose." Following Cloud, Squall paused as he entered the doorway, scanning the room as Cloud's eyes focused in on a blonde head of hair sticking up from behind the back of a couch. It was a cozy room, though small, the kind of place you would read a book on a Sunday afternoon. Which made Squall doubt that Axel had been the decorator. The one piece that did seem to suit the redhead was a rickety looking entertainment stand, a TV sitting above a messy collection of video games and DVDs. That TV was currently on, showing some random police car chase, which didn't seem to make Cloud any happier as he cleared his throat.

The blonde on the couch jumped and spun around and Squall immediately recognized him as the secretary from the police station, "Cloud!"

Cloud crossed his arms, "Roxas."

The young man gave an unconvincing grin, "What's up?" Spotting Squall hovering by the door, his face drew into a much more real frown, "What's he doing here?"

"He's under protection. What are you doing here?"

"Just, you know, hanging out."

"Funny, that's a lot like what Axel said. And yet I still don't believe it."

Roxas's eyes narrowed in a way that instantly made the relation between him and his older brother clear, "Yeah, well, that's all you're getting so start believing it."

Cloud's frown grew deeper at the response but uncrossed his arms, glancing back at Squall as if remembering he was there, "We'll talk about this later. What are you watching by the way?"

Realizing what was on, Roxas scrambled for the remote and turned the power to the TV off, "Just a cop show, nothing big."

It seemed that they had stumbled across an old argument because Cloud's hands moved to rest on his hips, "I don't know why you always watch those."

"Because it's the closest I ever get to being out in the field!" Roxas pouted a little but Cloud didn't seem affected.

"Well if you'd get off your lazy ass and took your test you could join up as a beat cop."

The younger's pout fell away, "Whatever, who wants to be a rookie cop?"

"You do. You have to be a rookie before you can be a veteran."

The conversation between the brothers was interrupted by Axel from the front room, "A car's pulling up." Immediately both Squall and Cloud spun around and walked back into the next room to find Axel peeking through the blinds of the bay window, "White sedan, kind of sporty looking and it looks like that Riku guy's in the driver's seat with two passengers." Raising his head, Axel put his hands on his hips, "Two passengers? Something _else_ you neglected to tell me Detective Strife?"

Cloud leaned in to look over his shoulder, his brow furrowing as Riku got out of the car followed by a brunette teen and finally Zexion after the other man fumbled around with his crutches for a moment. "The kid's Leon's younger brother; apparently he got taken along because he was being targeted by the Organization as a potential bargaining tool."

The redhead raised a brow before shrugging, "It wouldn't surprise me. They don't mess around."

Squall resisted the urge to join them at the window, thinking, correctly, that Axel wouldn't enjoy having him within a two foot radius without handcuffs on. Calling on his reserve of patience he remained where he was in the middle of the room, only starting forward a little when there was a knock on the door. Axel beat him to it and with a scowl yanked open the front door to reveal an indifferent Riku. Seeing Squall waiting inside, the silver haired man strolled in as if it were his own home, "Look who made it out of town alive."

Squall snorted, "I could say the same thing."

"Squall!"

Everyone in the room seemed surprised as the short brunette squeezed past Riku and ran at Squall, throwing his arms around the SeeD's waist. Keeping a smile off of his face, Squall gently rustled the teen's hair, "Hey Sora."

The boy pulled away, revealing two bright, indignant blue eyes, "What's going on? Are you in trouble again?"

"You could say that." Sora turned as the response came not from his brother but from the blonde still standing by the window, who blinked in surprise before continuing, "You must be Sora then."

Sora nodded and gave the redhead in the room a strange look as the man just stared, suddenly bursting out, "Holy shit, he looks just like Roxas!"

"Who's Roxas?"

"I'm Roxas. And what's going on out he—" Roxas's voice stopped in his throat as he stepped into the front room. His eyes immediately landed on Sora and the two stared at each other for a minute before Roxas blinked, "Cloud, did Mom and Dad have another kid that they didn't tell us about?"

"No, that's Sora. He's Leon's little brother."

"That's just…weird." Looking up, Roxas recognized the other occupants of the room and automatically took a step back as his eyes flashed from Riku to Zexion, who had snuck inside and closed the front door silently behind him, "What the hell are they doing here?!"

Riku smirked at the question, "We're here because _Cloud_ here asked us to come"

"Hey, who said you could call me by my first name?"

"Well Leon gets to so I don't see why I can't either. Besides, I assume you inviting us over to your house meant we're friends now."

Ignoring Riku's sarcastic tone, Axel crossed his arms, "It's my house and if you so much as touch anything I'll shoot you."

"Well that's not very welcoming."

"_Riku_." The silver-haired hitman grudgingly fell silent as the command came from the until-then silent Zexion, "I would appreciate it if you did not get us sent back out onto the street before we have time to strategize."

Sensing a confidential topic was about to arise, Cloud glanced once at Squall before turning to his brother, "Hey Rox, how about you take Sora and get him something to eat in the kitchen? The kid's got to be ready for a snack."

Roxas's eyes narrowed at the fact that he was being demoted to baby-sitter but softened his expression as he looked at Sora, "How about it? I'm sure I can find _something_ edible in Axel's kitchen."

Sora hesitated but, after receiving an encouraging nod from Squall, gave a tentative nod of his own to Roxas, "Uh, sure."

As the two younger boys left, Cloud turned to the remaining men in the room, "Meanwhile, how about we take this into the family room?"

He barely waited for a response before turning and leading the way back into the room with the TV, sitting in an overused armchair at the end of the coffee table as the rest filed in awkwardly after him. Well, Squall felt awkward anyway as Axel moodily pushed his way through to claim a seat. Riku's eyes were skimming everything as if were casing the house while Zexion's own gaze was on the windows and doors, trying to form a mental map of the home's layout.

Squall sat down on the far edge of the couch, Axel having claimed the side closest to Cloud's armchair, and let Riku fill the space in between, the hitman apparently having few problems with sitting next to the detective. Not wanting to lower himself all the way to the floor, Zexion delicately sat down on the arm of the couch next to Squall's elbow, leaning over to rest his crutches against the back of the couch before clearing his throat, "So, I suspect that the both of you would like to be involved in our planning process?"

Axel sneered, "If it's not too inconvenient for you."

Having spent too much time dealing with Riku to let himself to be flustered by such a minor use of passive-aggressive sarcasm, Zexion continued on unaffected. Squall let the man take over the conversation; he was the guy who made up all their plans after all, "Very well. It is my understanding that you have allowed our presence here because it is in the police department's best interest that we not vanish into the night, as per our previous plan. That being said, I will need to be convinced that you will be able to provide us with the proper level of protection before I will agree to submit to any sort of house arrest or any variation of the sort."

Cloud frowned, "If you give me twenty-four hours I can probably manage to set up a safe-house in Twilight Town where all of you can stay, even Sora and any other people close to you who are being targeted." He directed his gaze towards Zexion and the man frowned. Maybe, Squall thought, he shouldn't have mentioned Demyx to Cloud. Zexion was sure to give him an earful about it later. "Until then, we can keep you here."

"Do I get a say in this?"

Cloud looked over at his partner, a hint of annoyance flashing across his face, "Do you have a better plan?"

"To me, anything sounds better than letting them stay here! Let's drive them into Twilight Town and keep them at the station. That Sora kid can stay here I guess, he seems normal at least, but the rest of them need to go."

The blonde shook his head, "That's not going to work." Axel opened his mouth to protest but another quick shake of Cloud's head cut him off, "I'll tell you about it later."

"Oh," Riku leaned back, a hand going up to brush his bangs out of his face, "Is this about your informant at the station? Did you guys finally figure that out or did Leon have to tell you?"

Cloud glared at Riku and Axel blinked once before turning to his partner, "What's he talking about?"

Letting out a sigh, Cloud reached up to try and massage some of the building migraine out of his forehead, "Apparently we have a mole in the department who's been leaking confidential information to the Organization."

"Huh."

"'Huh'? That's all you have to say? Axel, somebody in our department is giving personal information about our suspects away to a bloodthirsty gang! Do you know how serious that is?"

Axel tilted his head in a half-nod before shrugging, his eyes flashing back to the three on the far end of the couch, "I mean, ya, it's bad and all, but you can't say that they don't deserve it."

"Whether they deserve it or not isn't the point! Besides, innocent people are starting to get involved and that is definitely crossing a line!"

"That's right," Riku interjected, a frown slipping onto his face, "Those bastards tried going after people who had nothing to do with our work. Even if you hate our guts, you have to do something about it otherwise the city's going to have a big problem on its hands when a kid or musician winds up dead because of gang retaliation. If you don't do something about it now, I think that's accessory to murder on your part since you know it might happen."

"Would you shut up?" Axel snapped back, "I know the law, okay? I don't need a criminal telling me what's legal or not. And I never said I wouldn't do anything about it either!" The redhead sighed, "You can stay here, but Cloud, you'd better work your ass off finding somewhere else for them to go. And I'm gonna go get my shotgun out of the gun locker…" His voice trailed off before he reached a hand towards a phone resting on a side table, "Should I call in then and let our supervisor know we won't be coming into the office for a while?"

"Don't worry about it, I already worked it out with dispatch. Well, for me anyway, you'll have to call it in if you want to take some time off to figure this out too."

"Wait," Axel waved his hand, "Dispatch? Twilight Town dispatch?"

"Yeah. Why?"

The redhead's face grew serious, the expression unnerving Squall since he had never seen it before. It didn't bode well and, with a sinking feeling hitting his stomach, he thought he knew what was coming, "Cloud, the reception doesn't come out this far. I know, I've tried before. I have to drive in like ten miles to get within range."

Cloud's face remained frozen for a few seconds before he closed his eyes, "Fuck."

Zexion sucked in a breath at the news, an eyebrow raising calmly although Squall knew enough about Zexion now to tell that the man was suddenly nervous, "Do you mean to tell me that you radioed in our location to an unknown party?"

Axel rose to his feet, "I'm going to go get that shotgun now."

Following his partner with his eyes as Axel left the room, Cloud looked up at Squall before addressing the small group as a whole, "Alright. Since the people who received the call pretended to be Twilight Town dispatch, I think it's fair to say that it was probably the Organization. I didn't tell them that any of you were with me but if they think about it hard enough, I'm sure they'll be able to put two and two together."

Zexion scowled, "Even if they did not immediately draw the correct conclusion, I am sure that they will send a unit out to check on the situation since they obviously now know that you are involved at least with Leon—"

Cutting the other man off, Squall leaned forward, his eyes on Cloud's face. "How long do you think we have before they get here?"

The detective shrugged almost helplessly before he got to his feet, automatically going over to the window to check outside, "I don't know. It depends on whether the Organization was tailing our car or the car Riku drove in. If none of us were being followed and the closest group they have to our location is in Twilight Town, then we have about forty-five minutes before they get here if they left immediately."

Zexion's eyes narrowed, "But Axel said that the range of Twilight Town's dispatch does not reach this far out, so it is safe to assume that the equipment the Organization is using does not either. That means that they would be a good deal closer than that, at a minimum at least ten minutes towards this location from the city, if Detective Flynn's estimation of the radio signal is correct."

"Then we have about half an hour max before they get here if they come out immediately."

Squall stood up, "Then we should get out of here. Since they know where we are, they'll be able to corner us."

"Hold on," raising his hand, Riku looked from Squall to Cloud to Zexion, "I thought we were staying here for a while? Where are we going to go after this, since Cloud here hasn't had time to set us up a bunker yet?"

This brought a frown to Cloud's face, Squall watching as a flurry of thoughts rolled through his eyes, "We'll figure something out. The important thing now is that we leave since this location has been compromised. I don't suppose there's anywhere any of you know that would be a good place for you to hide out?"

Zexion shook his head, "From the Organization? None, which was the beginning of our predicament this morning. If I had known that coming here would put us in an even worse situation, I never would have accepted the offer. The only option I see available is if Riku, Leon, and I immediately take our leave."

Cloud bristled, "I already told Leon that I can't just let you run now that you're here."

"I do not recall phrasing my last statement as a suggestion." Pushing himself onto his feet, Zexion stood, Riku watching lazily as Zexion crossed his arms, "Unless you can think of a more suitable option, we will be leaving. The odds that you have set up for yourself here were perhaps unwise on your part as there are three of us and only two, perhaps three, officers, depending on how you count your younger brother." The sharp man caught it as Cloud's eyes flickered briefly over to Squall, "Even if Leon refuses to take part, Riku and I are more than capable of handling ourselves, mildly incapacitated though I am." Zexion's eyes turned back to Squall, "And if you are smart, you will come with us. Remaining here will only put your brother further at risk."

Squall shook his head, "I can't just leave him here."

"I am certain that the detectives will take good care of him. One teen is much easier to protect than three wanted men."

Stepping away from the window, Cloud warningly rested his hand on his holster, "That's enough. Don't think I'm not prepared to use force to keep you here."

Zexion barely blinked as Riku finally rose to his feet at the thinly-veiled threat, "Do not think that we will not hesitate to use force as well Detective. You know that we are capable of it."

The sound of an action being worked on a shotgun stopped the conversation short as Axel walked back into the room, "Whose going to be using force on who now?"

Looking over, Squall's eyes immediately settled on the pump-action shotgun, a riot gun more specifically since the barrel was shortened. It didn't really matter what type of it was more than the fact that Axel had a gun in his hands. A loaded gun by the sound of it. It really made Squall miss his SeeD assault rifle; the handgun in his pocket wouldn't be much of a match against the redhead's more advanced firepower.

Cloud seemed just as shocked as the criminals in the room, "The hell…? Axel, you actually have a shotgun?"

Axel quirked a brow, "It came with the house. But you never can be too careful. Now, I suggest that the three of you relax and take your seats again until we figure this little problem out—"

He was interrupted, not by the expected Riku or Zexion but by Cloud who had turned back to the window, "Shh! Wait, be quiet for a minute!"

Squall was the first to disobey the request, his brows narrowing as Cloud leaned in towards the window pane, "What do you hear?"

"I said be quiet! But," Cloud fell silent for a moment and he frowned in concentration, "shit, I think I hear a car coming."

Resting his shotgun under his arm, Axel looked outside from across the room, "It could be one of the neighbors."

"Yet I for one believe that it is better to be safe than sorry." Zexion crisply cut in, his eyes still zeroed in on Axel's weapon, "Now, since you are clearly against letting us leave on our own, I suggest that you quickly come up with a different solution."

Cloud shook his head as he straightened up, "The only thing we can do for now is change locations. Ax, where can we take them?"

"I don't know, the abandoned warehouses down by the docks would be too obvious…Oh!" Axel snapped his fingers in sudden inspiration, "How about the cabins out by the police academy training camp?"

Before Cloud could reply Riku crossed his arms, "Cabins? Are you serious?"

Cloud rolled his eyes, "It's actually not a bad idea. The training camp's only about twenty minutes out of Twilight Town in the forested hills behind the city. It would be close enough so that we could keep an eye on you while far enough removed to reduce the possibility of the Organization finding out about it by accident."

Zexion delicately raised an eyebrow at the blonde detective, "I hope that this time you will refrain from radioing in our new location?"

"_Yes_, I will."

Squall broke their glaring contest with a soft grunt, "What about Sora?"

"It's up to you. But if you want Sora to come with you, he'll have to stay with you until this is over. If he goes back to school after missing a couple of days without a valid excuse it could raise some suspicions, and not just from the school administration."

Squall frowned. It was actually a fairly serious question. If he had Sora come along, he would be stuck with them and he would absolutely become involved in whatever happened next. Not only that, but he could be put behind in his school work and, after having already missed a whole year due to his leukemia, that wasn't really something that his younger brother could afford. On the other hand, if Squall left him out in the world, he would be open once again to being used by the Organization. The group had already shown that they were prepared to use Sora as some sort of bargaining chip and he doubted that they would deny themselves the opportunity if given the chance to kidnap him again. Sora missing a few days, or weeks of school was definitely better than Sora being kidnapped and murdered. "He'll have to come with us then."

Zexion's visible eye turned on the SeeD, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "I appreciate you taking the time to discuss this with us before you made your decision."

Surprisingly it was Riku who answered back first, "Lay off, Zexion. You know what will happen if the kid stays out here."

When Zexion failed to reply Cloud took that to be his answer. Cupping his hand around his mouth, he called back into the house, "Hey Rox, bring Sora in here, we need to leave!"

Axel eyed the group as Roxas and Sora appeared in the doorway, "How's this going to work? Cloud, either you or me should ride with these guys to make sure they don't try and make a break for it when they get back onto the road."

Waving his hand in the general direction of the driveway, Riku stood back up, "We could take our car."

Cloud shot that idea down with a quick shake of his head, "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that if I ran those plates, your name would not come up as the licensed owner."

"I suppose that's a fair assumption."

"That's what I thought. And there's no way either Axel or I will be caught in a stolen car. That's staying here until we can send someone in from the station to pick it up and return it to its legal owner."

Axel filled in the blanks, "That means we have to take our cars. How are we going to split up the passengers?"

"Well, each car holds five so—"

"Um, guys?" Sora's hesitant voice drifted in from the entryway and made Cloud pause. Staring out of the bay window, Sora pointed through the glass, "I think those bad guys are here."

"What?!"

"A black van's been sitting out front for a few seconds now." Immediately Squall was by his side, pulling his little brother away from the window just in time to avoid the sharp shattering of glass as a warning shot was fired through.

"Shit! My house!" Axel ran into the entryway before waving for the others to follow, "Everyone outside to the cars!"

Roxas scowled, covering his head as another couple rounds came through the now empty window, "Are you kidding?! They'd shoot us!"

Axel shook his head and raised his shotgun up into position, "I'll cover for you, just get inside the car. Besides, they'll just bring this inside if we don't get out. Leave the driver seat open for me Roxy!"

"Ah, o-okay!"

"Alright! Everybody ready?"

Squall turned to Riku, pushing Sora towards him before pulling out the handgun he had under his jacket, "Riku, make sure Sora gets into their car. Sora, keep your head down, okay?" Checking that he still had some cartridges in the clip, Squall looked down to see his brother give him a shaky nod and attach himself to Riku's arm. The hitman gave an annoyed look at having his agility diminished but didn't push the teen off.

Waiting for them to finish, Cloud drew his own weapon and nodded at Axel, "Let's get out of here."

"On my count then, stay low and start running. One, two," Axel reached a hand out to grip the doorknob on the front door, "_three_!" In one motion, he heaved the door wide open then brought his hand back up to the gun to fire off a round towards the van at the far end of the front yard. The only thing Squall noticed was Sora and Roxas jumping at the sound of the shotgun firing off, before everything started to blur as they ran en masse towards the driveway.

Roxas had been standing closest to Axel and was the first one out the door, covering his head with his hands as he sprinted for the redhead's car, keys clutched in his fist. He used the car as a shield to block any oncoming bullets and practically forced the passenger's side door open. Close on his heels were Zexion, Riku and Sora. Zexion had apparently momentarily foregone his crutches, his face contorted with pain as he nevertheless ran to the same car on a broken leg. Behind him, Riku was blocking Sora from the Organization's line of sight with his body, an arm around the teen's shoulders keeping him moving as they sprinted towards the relative awaiting safety of the car, climbing into the back as Roxas reached over and started up the engine.

As Axel let off a second shot, Squall took the chance to run out, aiming blindly towards the people inside the van as he raced down the gravel driveway. Hearing his fire returned, he ran passed Axel's car and dove to the passenger's side of Cloud's car, leaning onto the hood after righting himself to fire off a few more rounds. His assault seemed to serve as a decent distraction because Cloud managed to escape the house and run all the way to the driver's side of his car to unlock it without getting hit. Then again, it could have been Axel who, having reloaded, fired off another two shots in quick succession, empty shotgun shells clattering to the ground to make room for new ammunition as he reloaded again.

Seeing that Cloud had the car unlocked, Squall stopped shooting in favor of climbing inside, Cloud's body tense as he started the car. "Axel's not going to make it out of there without some help!"

Thinking fast, Squall snapped a new clip into his gun, "Pull out and drive by so I can get at them from their left."

"Got it."

Revving the engine, and startling those in the other car, Cloud peeled out of the driveway only to make a sharp turn into the wrong lane in order to pull up beside the black van. The windows on the left were still rolled up, the heavily tinted glass making it impossible to see inside but it really didn't matter. For now they only needed a distraction. Rolling down his window, Squall stretched out his hand and aimed for the driver should be.

"Lean back!"

Glancing over, he saw that Cloud was also taking aim and Squall pressed himself back against his seat before the two of them unleashed a hail of bullets onto their opponents' blind side. The noise was so deafening that wasn't even able to hear it as the glass on the Organization's van cracked then shattered, Squall withdrawing his arm as they began to return fire. He let out a grunt of pain as a bullet grazed his leg, feeling like a sitting duck now that they had gotten the Organization's attention. He would have rolled up the window but it wouldn't have provided much protection since it was still cracked from his and Cloud's earlier encounter with the Organization that morning.

Luckily, the decision turned out to be unimportant as a breath later Axel's fully-loaded car zoomed past, Roxas waving for them to follow as they flashed by. Cloud obeyed and stepped on the gas, a final bullet ricocheting off of the door panel as they sped away. The Organization clearly wasn't going to readily give up however and gave chase, the van moving surprising fast as all three cars tore down the dirt road and speeds that were quickly becoming unsafe. Cloud knew that both he and Axel had received specialized training for police chases so they would be able to manage batter than most, but he was sure that the Organization's drivers were professionals in their own right.

Suddenly something began to vibrate in his pocket, Cloud jumping a little before he realized that it was his cell phone, "Leon, get that for me."

Squall frowned but reached into the detective's coat pocket, having to dig around a bit before his fingers connected with smooth plastic. Pulling it out, he glanced at the caller ID. "It's Roxas."

"Answer and put it on speaker."

As soon as Squall turned on the speaker function, Roxas's agitated voice filled the car, "What the hell was that little gunfight, Cloud?"

"A distraction. Did everyone make it into the car okay?"

"Yeah. Axel got in and we were all fine until we realized that you had pulled up for a short-range shoot out! Give me a freakin' heart attack, why don't you? Some of their shots definitely made it into the car, are either of you hurt?"

Cloud glanced down at Squall's leg but Squall answered for him, "We're both fine. What's the plan?"

"Axel thinks he can loose them on these side roads. How's your car holding up?"

Frowning, Cloud leaned over so that he could be better heard while still keeping his eyes straight ahead, "The car can put up with whatever Axel's can. Tell him I'll tail him wherever he wants to go."

"Alright! I'll call back if there's a problem! Be careful!"

"You too."

As Roxas hung up, the car gave a shudder as Cloud soared over another pothole. The country road wasn't necessarily badly kept but it definitely wasn't meant to be driven at eighty miles per hour. Behind them, the van was having even more trouble and was beginning to fall back, the bullets being fired at them becoming rarer and farther off of their mark as the distance between Cloud's car and the Organization's vehicle increased. Another pothole sent another jolt through the car's frame, mud splashing up onto the back windows as the tires kicked it up. Squall wasn't shaken by it though; on the contrary, it was eerily familiar. Driving through the desert in a SeeD humvee had given a similar effect, right down to the mud splattered windows. Mud and blood splattered windows…

Cloud glanced over, concerned as he saw Squall tense up, the man's face and his stormy eyes going strangely blank as he seemed to sink into himself. "Leon. Hey, you alright?" Not getting a response, even as another teeth-rattling bounce jarred the car, his worry only deepened. He had never seen the solider act like this before, so he didn't think it was just stress. Cloud hadn't known him long but he could tell that this was different. "Leon. _Squall_!"

Squall gave a violent start and Cloud had thought it worked before he glanced back over to find the man's eyes wide and hallow. Scared that he had triggered something, Cloud lunged over and slapped him sharply across the face. He knew that Squall had finally snapped out of it when his hand shot up to grab his wrist but instead of getting angry, Squall stayed quiet, his voice gruff as he finally spoke, "What happened?"

Scowling, Cloud tugged on his wrist, "Give me my arm back so I can drive!" Squall's grip on his arm loosened enough for the detective to pull free, returning his hand to the steering wheel, "You were having some sort of episode. Is there something you're not telling me about?"

"What do you mean?"

His voice was still rough, and Cloud ignored how similar it was to his voice when…well, this was definitely not the right time to talk about those things. "You're having psychological issues!" Cloud clenched his jaw as they went over a particularly rough patch, "It could be important for my case!"

"I don't have psychological issues…"

"Bullshit!"

Cloud tried to focus on the road as he heard Squall let out a harsh sigh after a long pause, "I went from a kid fixing motorcycles to a soldier cleaning brain matter off jeeps. I might be a little messed up."

The detective winced at Squall's words and didn't answer back, not knowing what to say in response to that. It turned out he didn't have to say anything, Squall filling the silence as he turned around. Cloud was suspicious that he was trying to say the subject until the other man spoke, "The van's giving up—"

"—That's good—"

"—But," Squall continued, frowning at the interruption, "it looks like they've sent in backup."

Cloud wanted to look but at these speeds he didn't want to risk taking his eyes off the unpaved road even for a second. If he hit one pothole at a slightly off angle they might get sent spinning off into the ditches lining the way. "What type of backup?"

"An SUV, maybe the one that went after us this morning, and a truck, both gaining fast."

"Damn." Both of the cars would be better equipped than his and Axel's sedans to the demands of the road. "Call Roxas. They might not be able to see them with us blocking their view."

Picking up the phone, Squall redialed the last number called, glad that Cloud had dropped the issue of his mental health. Ever since he had whited-out that morning during the gun fight he had been wondering if there actually was something wrong with him. The fact that Cloud seemed to think so too made him nervous and he didn't want to have to show it. As Roxas picked up his thoughts dissipated. Skipping formalities, Squall launched right into the reason he had called, "Two more vehicles are coming up from behind and gaining fast."

"What?! Oh shit, Axel!" Roxas's voice grew distant as he relayed the news to the redhead, Squall hearing the detective's reply clearly as a string of expletives sounded over the line. Returning to the phone, Roxas's voice was tense, "What's the plan?"

Squall held the phone up next to Cloud's face so that the blonde could speak into it, "Grab Axel's shotgun and hand it back to Riku." He heard Roxas splutter out something incomprehensible and even Squall's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "I know, but right now, with Axel driving, and the situation getting so dangerous, you need to make use of what you have. And the fact that you have a professional, though illegal, gunman in your car could be helpful."

"What about me? I could do it!"

"Roxas, your training is limited and right now we can't afford that." Cloud stifled a curse as the SUV came right up behind the car, tailgating for a few seconds before swerving into the wrong lane to pass them, Cloud tensing as he saw that the men inside were armed and training their weapons on Axel's car, "There's no time, you've got company!"

oOoOo

Hanging up, Roxas stared at the phone in his hand before glancing over his shoulder. Oh, there was a car coming up behind them. Inside, the passenger in front was aiming a rifle at them. As soon as he saw that, Roxas snapped into action and lunged down, straining against his seatbelt, and snatched the shotgun Axel had placed down at his feet were there was room to store it. Seeing what he was going for, Axel frowned, "What the hell, don't touch that Rox!"

"Don't worry, I'm just passing it along!"

"To who? Hey!" Axel's frown deepened as Roxas grabbed the gun and pushed it into the backseat, Riku blinking up as it was thrust into his hands.

The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow as Sora, who was sitting to his right, gasped in surprise, "Are you serious? You realize that you're giving _me_, the enemy, a weapon, right?"

Roxas scowled back at him as a dangerous glint flashed through Zexion's eyes who was seated to Riku's left, "Desperate situations and all that! To your left!"

Urged on by the building panic in the blonde's voice, Riku looked over to find that they were being targeted. "Fine, but I'm billing the police department after all this is over."

"Consider it a favor!"

Responding with a small, mirthless smile, Riku turned to Zexion, "Alright Zex, roll down your window and lean back, will ya?" Unbuckling his seatbelt, Riku motioned for Sora to stay down before leaning over Zexion, propping his elbows up on the shorter man's thighs as he positioned the barrel of the gun in the opened window, "Don't mind me." Zexion scoffed but any response was cut off as the Organization fired the first shot, Sora letting out a shout as the back window shattered, spewing glass all over the occupants of the back seat.

Riku answered back in kind and his skills shown through, only needing to fire once to send his target, the man with the rifle in the passenger's seat, pitching forward with a hole in his forehead. Scowling, he sat up and glared at the shotgun, "I hate these. They're so imprecise."

Roxas blinked, still finding it hard to believe that the man had managed to drop his target on the first try, "But, you got him!"

Rolling his eyes, Riku glanced at the young man, "That's just what I'd expect an amateur to say."

Zexion let out a small tut, "Unfortunately, the job is not yet over. It seems that the man was easily replaceable."

Looking back, Riku saw that Zexion was right; the old shooter's body had been drawn into the back of the SUV only to have his seat filled by another man. Smirking Riku didn't even have to look down as he ejected the used shotgun shell and pushed a fresh one into the magazine, "They can replace all the guys they want, eventually they're going to run out. Zexion, you can roll up your window now. They just made this a lot easier for me."

Winking back at Sora, Riku brushed some of the remaining glass out of the window frame before turning around and leaning out through the gaping hole, resting his upper body on the exterior of the trunk. Taking aim, he was just about to make the shot when the black SUV suddenly swerved wildly, slamming into the side of Axel's back bumper. The redhead let out a curse as he fought to keep control of the car as it was knocked off balance, Riku getting tossed back inside as the back end of the sedan swung around.

oOoOo

Behind them, a noise of concern escaped Cloud, the man watching helplessly as Axel's car was rammed from behind by the Organization's SUV, the smaller vehicle tossing about before finally able to regain its traction. Letting out a breath of relief, he saw that they had their own problem to worry about, the large black truck bearing down on them.

He had his hands full, literally as his fingers gripped the steering wheel, with simply trying to simultaneously outrun his pursuer and keep up with Axel as the redhead led them further and further out onto the back-country roads. Luckily he knew that his passenger knew how to handle himself, "Leon, are you feeling up to taking care of those guys?"

Getting the blonde detective's drift, Squall gave a stiff nod and switched the safety off of his handgun, "Line us up and I'll see what I can do."

"Where do you want to be?"

Squall glanced back at the truck before rolling down his window and unbuckling his seatbelt, "Just keep them behind us and drive straight."

"Wait, what are you doing? Hey!" Cloud struggled to keep his eyes on the road as Squall crawled half-way out of the window, the man actually sitting on the window frame as he locked his feet under the passenger's seat to maintain enough balance to release his grip on the frame of his car with his hands.

Closing an eye, Squall took aim and fired off a few rounds at the driver just as he heard more gunfire being exchanged between the two cars up ahead, the loud boom of a shotgun implying that Riku had managed to right himself. All of the bullets he fired hit the front windshield, the glass cracking but refusing to break. Like Cloud's car, the truck seemed to be equipped with bulletproof glass. "Shit. This is going to take too long…"

Seeing an arm reach out of the truck window with a pistol in hand, Squall slid back inside, ducking his head as heavy-grade ammunition slammed into the back windshield of Cloud's car. As he looked up again, Squall's gray eyes narrowed, "Can you get behind the truck?"

"Why?"

"Just do it, alright?"

Scowling, Cloud turned the wheel, sending the car flying towards the ditch on the side of the road then pushed down on the breaks, going eighty to forty in about one second. It wasn't a dramatic decrease in speed but the truck, caught off guard and not able to stop in time, zoomed past them. Switching his foot back to the gas pedal, Cloud returned to the chase, although this time the hunter had become the hunted.

As Squall began to climb back out of the window, Cloud shot a few uneasy glances in the man's direction, "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to put an end to this before one of us gets hurt. Get closer to them."

Cloud scoffed; his front bumper was almost tapping the truck's back bumper, "How close do you need to be?"

"Closer!" Squall leaned out the window a little more. What he was about to do was dangerous but it was an old SeeD maneuver and it had worked for him before. Of course, that time he had been riding in a 4x4 so the heights of the two cars had been about equal but the principal was bound to be the same. Moving fast, because he knew Cloud would try to stop him if he realized what he was trying to do, Squall grabbed on to the top of the car and pulled himself completely out through the window, crouching so that his feet were balanced on the edge of the window frame.

Cloud, of course, noticed. And he wasn't happy about it. "_What the hell are you doing_, you psychotic son of a bitch?! _Get back in here!_"

"Stay close, I'll need a pick up after I'm done."

That was the only thing Squall said before he jumped. Reaching back, his hands snagged the edge of the bed of the truck, his boot only scuffing against the dirt road once before he heaved himself up and over, tumbling into the bed. Not giving the driver and his passenger time to look behind them, with a few solid hits with the butt of his gun Squall managed to crack the back window. Although it didn't shatter, the glass crumpled a bit and in a smooth movement, Squall reached up and yanked the deformed glass out of its frame. With his other hand, he lifted his gun and, just as the two men drew their own weapons, fired one round and point- blank range into the two Organization members with all of the skill possessed by a trained special-ops soldier.

The two men were dead before they even knew what hit them, the driver falling forward as his foot seemed to collapse and slip onto the break pedal. Either way, Squall was pitched back, the truck suddenly spinning out of control and off of the road. Laying down in the bed of the truck, Squall braced himself for impact as they flew towards the ditch. The whole truck gave a huge lurch, Squall thrown up into the air about a foot and a half, and spun around once more before it slammed side first into a telephone pole. The impact tossed Squall from the back like a rag doll, the man managing to land in a roll as he roughly connected with the ground about ten feet from the wreck.

Pushing himself up from the grassy field, Squall shook his head as from behind he heard the sound of screeching brakes, footsteps running over to him a second later. "What the hell was that, you maniac?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm fine."

"Just shut up! Is anything broken? Are you injured?" Squall looked up through his bangs to see Cloud crouching beside him, an angry, slightly concerned scowl on the detective's face.

"I said I'm fine. Besides, it got the job done, didn't it? One down, one to go."

"Yeah, you almost ended my job too." Not waiting for Squall to refuse a hand up, Cloud reached down and heaved the man to his feet, "Wasn't the whole point of this to keep you alive? Now get back into the car! We have to catch up with the others!"

Not quite following the agitated blonde's logic but knowing an order when he heard one, and wanting to get back into the chase himself, he hurried back to his seat. As Cloud jumped in and started up the engine, Squall could just make out the other two cars further up ahead, the large cloud of dust being spun up by their wheels the biggest giveaway.

In his push to catch up and perhaps still angry about Squall's little stunt, Cloud pushed his car to reckless speeds, the wheels feeling as if they were barely touching the ground as they flew over the potholes and mud puddles. Quickly buckling back up to keep from being bounced up and hitting his head against the ceiling, Squall leaned forward to hold onto the dashboard as Cloud stared straight ahead with fire in his blue eyes. Squall now recognized it as the look he made when he was fully engrossed in his work and, he had to admit, it was fairly attractive on the man's pale face.

About two tense minutes later, they were back in the game, though just barely. Drawing close, both men immediately noticed that the Organization's SUV's front left tire had been deflated, Riku probably having taken it out with the shotgun. The back corner of Axel's car was pretty beaten up, indicating that the SUV had tried to force them off the road a few more times. The fact that Riku was no longer sprawled out over the back of the hood meant one of two things: either he had run out of shotgun shells or he had been wounded, a splatter of blood across the light exterior or the car an ominous indication of which was more likely.

Taking in the condition of Axel's car, Cloud grit his teeth, "One more hit and the car won't be able to take it. The wheel will be crushed and they'll lose it!"

As if the driver of the SUV had read his mind, they changed course, aiming straight for the damaged area of Axel's car. Cloud reacted automatically and accelerated, Squall holding on as the blonde used his car to shield his partner's vehicle from the impact. It was a move that the SUV didn't seem to appreciate very much, the larger car puling away and falling back before suddenly swinging right to Cloud, Cloud cursing as the wheel ripped out of his hands. Fully expecting to fly off the road and end up like the Organization's truck, Squall was shocked when the car didn't drive off of the road. In fact, it was still attached to the SUV as if the two had been fused together during the impact. In a way they had.

Cloud swore again as he tried to turn the wheel, "Shit! Our frames are locked! They're going to force us off the road!"

"Can't you knock them off instead?"

"Are you kidding? They have way too much horsepower for that!" Cloud's knuckles whitened as he tried to regain control over the steering wheel to no avail. The larger, stronger SUV was pushing them off of the road towards the ditch where they were sure to become untangled, right before they flipped end-over-end, finally coming to a stop as a pile of scrap metal.

Seeing Cloud was growing desperate, Squall fought to think of a way out, "S-slam on the breaks then, and turn hard to the left!"

Not hesitating a second, Cloud did as he was told, a high-pitched squeal filling the air as he slammed the break pedal all the way down to the floor and turned the wheel as hard as it would go to the right. The SUV, driven by its own momentum, was caught up in the motion, the frames becoming detached as Cloud's car spun in a wild 360. The SUV tried to stop as well but the sharp turn was too much for the top-heavy vehicle and it went into a roll and then another before coming to a stop, upside-down, in the middle of the street.

Panting, Cloud stared, his fingers still gripping the steering wheel, as he looked at the wreck in front of them, it taking him a second to realize that the smoke was wafting out from underneath the hood of his own car. "Shit!" Turning off the ignition, he jumped out, tentatively resting his hand on the hood to check if it was hot. Feeling that it wasn't any hotter than it should have been after a chase, Cloud was convinced that his engine wasn't on fire and flipped the hood open only to be caught in the face by a billow of black smoke. Stumbling back, he coughed, blinking his eyes open as he heard Squall exit the car as well, "My engine's destroyed! We aren't going anywhere in this."

Squall grunted a little, covering his nose and mouth as he leaned over the car's inner workings. Cloud's initial impression had been right. Now that it had been turned off, the car probably wouldn't even start up again, much less take them anywhere. The car would have to be towed into a mechanic to have the engine repaired, or replaced. From where he was standing the break pads also smelled like they could due to be replaced as well.

The sound of a horn honking startled him out of his thoughts and he spun around to see Axel driving up, the redhead sticking his head out the window as his brows furrowed in concern, "You guys alright?"

Cloud threw up his hands, "We're fine, but my car's not going anywhere."

"Well." Axel paused, glanced back at his other passengers, before waving them closer, "it'll be a tight squeeze but we'll make it work. Get in."

Both Squall and Cloud gave the man the same incredulous look before giving in. Neither wanted to be left out here in the country to wait for the Organization's back up to arrive. Taking a moment to put the hood back down and lock his car up, Cloud pocketed his keys and joined Squall by the already filled-to-capacity vehicle. Immediately zeroing in on the lesser of evils, Cloud swung the passenger's side door open and motioned with his head towards his brother, "Get up, Rox."

The smaller blonde glared up at him, "What? Are you kidding me? Why should I?"

"Because you weigh less and you're going on my lap."

"Like hell I am!" Despite his protests, Cloud's gaze left no room for negotiation. Grumbling, Roxas got out and let Cloud get settled before gingerly sitting on his brother's lap as if it were the worst thing he could possible do.

Following his pattern, Squall opened up the back door to find Sora blinking up at him. The teen's face was pale but otherwise he seemed healthy enough, one of his arms pressing against Riku's arm where the silver-haired man seemed to be wounded. Immediately catching on, Sora bounced up, letting Squall sit before jumping back inside, seeming much less bothered by the situation than Roxas was as his hands went right back to putting pressure on Riku's flesh wound. Squall winced as he remembered that a bullet had grazed his leg but remained silent as Sora shifted a bit. He didn't want his little brother worrying over more than he already was.

As soon as they were inside, Axel took off back towards the highway, the sunset nearly blinding them as the sped towards Twilight Town. The occupants of the car remained surprisingly quiet during the trip, except for Roxas's occasional complaint or Sora's softly murmured question about how Riku was doing. Following the original plan, Axel drove right through the city and back out through the other side into the mountains, the day having appropriately settled into twilight as they finally reached their destination: the police training camp. As promised it was remote; although they had only driven twenty miles out of town, they had been fully engulfed within the surrounding woods, a series of small cabins appearing in a clearing as Axel slowed down to a stop. "Here we are." Putting his car into park, he turned off the ignition, "I suggest we all settle down in one cabin. That way, everyone will be able to keep an eye on everyone."

Cloud nodded as Roxas pushed open the door, happy to finally be free, "Plus, the generator always takes eight hours to warm up so there won't be any heat."

"That too. Body heat is underrated." Flipping open the glove compartment of his car, Axel dug around before he pulled out a small key ring. "Luckily, I never gave back the keys from our trip up here during the summer. Apparently irresponsibility has its perks."

They walked and limped into cabin number one, Squall quickly taking in the accommodations. There were only two rooms, the main room filled with two full-sized beds, each with a single pillow and a thin blanket, a raggedy looking couch, a small table and a kitchenette. He could only assume that the second, smaller room was a bathroom. It had actually been better than what he was expecting but Riku was apparently insulted.

"This is it? This is where we're staying until the Organization gets off our back?"

Zexion collapsed down onto the couch as Roxas quickly claimed a bed, Zexion glaring up at Riku through glassy eyes, "Would you shut up and just be happy your wound is not more extensive?"

"What's your problem?"

Closing his eyes, Zexion leaned back, "My pain medication, seems to have worn off. After all the activity today I may have strained myself a little too far." His eyes flickered back open as he looked up at Riku, "You know, I heard once that the Somatosensory cortex in the brain," he pointed towards the top of his head, "controls the sensation of pain. If you took a gun and aimed it correctly—"

"I don't think so." Riku cut him off before he could even finish, "Just suck it up and take it like a man. Or at least like a ten year old boy."

Shaking his head, Cloud turned to Axel, "We should take turns keeping watch in case we get any surprise visitors tonight."

Axel let out a sigh but nodded, "I guess…Alright, you take Leon and go out first, so I can stay here and keep an eye on things. I don't think anyone else is about to get up off their ass to volunteer and Leon's still standing."

Cloud glanced back and Squall who shrugged, "Okay. We'll switch off in," he looked down at his watch, "five hours. Try to get some sleep so you don't pass out on your shift."

"Gotcha." As Cloud and Leon stepped back outside, Axel clapped his hands, "Alright, you heard him, it's bedtime. We had a long day and I'm not even gonna think about what kind of day tomorrow's going to be…"

No one complained. As Axel flopped down beside Roxas, Sora looked at the last remaining bed then over at Riku, "Um…"

Noticing the situation, Riku sent him disarming grin, "Since it's freezing in here, I don't think there's a problem in us sharing."

"But, uh, I don't think…" Sora's eyes darted over to the front door to the cabin and Riku waved dismissively.

"Squall will get over it. Besides, we both need to sleep and I'm not sleeping on the floor and I'm not letting you sleep on the floor. So, bed." Riku nodded towards it and Sora finally went along with the plan, kicking off his shoes and laying down awkwardly as Riku lay down beside him. They weren't touching but the bed wasn't that big so they were closer than what seemed appropriate. Worse, Sora knew that he tended to toss around in his sleep. What if he accidently hit Riku or something?

"Is, is your arm alright?"

"Huh? Oh, ya." Riku glanced over at it as he pulled off his jacket to use as a pillow, having been just enough of a gentlemen to give up the real pillow to Sora. Tugging the blanket over the both of them, he smirked at Sora's tense expression, "Relax kid, you're never going to get to sleep like that. I'm not going to do anything to you."

"What?" Confused, Sora suddenly realized what he meant and blushed, "No! It's not that!" Riku raised a brow. The teen had answered so confidently that Riku wondered if any similar thoughts had even crossed his mind. How naïve. "It's just, just that, uh, well, everything that's happened today's been weird I guess."

"You get used to it."

"This happens to you a lot?"

"All the time." Riku winked down at him again, his silver hair falling into his face as he turned to look at Sora, "Welcome to the criminal life. Now, you'd better get to sleep before Detective Flynn here issues out some police brutality for disruption of the peace—"

"You know it!" Riku grinned as Axel snapped back from the other bed, "Shut up over there, some of us need sleep."

"Alright, alright…keep your voice down."

Sora grinned at Riku's response and his face finally seemed to relax, "Well, goodnight Riku."

The brunette let his eyes flutter closed, completely missing the soft, yet strangely blank look that passed across Riku's face, "Yeah. You too…"


	14. Chapter 14

Wahh! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and once again for putting up with me! As soon as NaNoWriMo was over, I was able to focus on getting this chapter out (when I had spare time from all my school work; stupid term papers and finals…)! Happy late Thanksgiving, by the way! How weird is it that the holiday season is already here? I was out driving with my sister on our way back to school last weekend and it was a clear enough day that I able to see snow on the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and was like "Holy crap, it's winter?!" *sigh* How time flies…

Anyway huge, enormous "thank you"s go out to: Nekotsubasa, Arid Tundra, Dragi, ChibixLeon, flammula, Oreo, bliss, Maiden Masquerade, Clockwork Phoenix, ramen-is-my-goddess, An Antique Heart, Shinimegami7, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, DeNiSaY60, CloudedMirror89, Love-in-the-Stars, Aindel S. Druida, ooXloveXoo582, RealityInABottle, b4k4 ch4n, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, a-chan, YumiStar, shebajay, , xHanako, Becca86, MadeInHolland, Blah..., Lucia-luce, chibi heishi, SlippingSanity, IceySTAR., Bane-Dane, and LoneBoy7!! Thank you so much for putting up with me! This is another long chapter, lengthened by my guilt… ^^;

O

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Chapter 14

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Hearing the man beside him stifle a yawn, Squall broke his attention away from the surrounding woods to glance over at Cloud, the detective still looking relatively alert although dark rings were beginning to develop under his blue eyes. The marks were particularly prevalent against his pale skin in the moonlight. Tearing his eyes from the blonde's face, Squall looked back out towards the trees, "What time is it?"

Blinking at the break in the silence that had engulfed them, Cloud looked down at his wristwatch, "Oh. Ten minutes before our shift officially ends."

"Good." Squall knew Cloud was tired and, if he allowed himself to think about it for a moment he knew that he would find that he was ready for a break as well. But ten more minutes were definitely manageable. Before they went back inside though, he had some questions for Cloud that he didn't think the man would answer as truthfully while being listened in on, "How long are you, Axel and Roxas going to stick around?"

Squall had kept his voice low so as not to disturb those asleep in the cabin behind them and or the calm of the surrounding forest and Cloud followed suit, answering back in a whisper a moment later, "Until we think that no one is coming up after us. Luckily, it seems that we can depend upon the Organization to act as soon as they are able to find you so the fact that no one has shown up yet is comforting."

Squall gave a small nod, "And after that, I'm assuming we're going to be left up here?"

"That's right, until we can find somewhere better for you. If no one comes tonight then we'll probably head back in town tomorrow morning and have some food supplies brought up by around noon, along with your basic hygienic necessities and probably some better bedding. By then the generator should have kicked on, so you'll have a heater, hot water, and a fridge. The stove is propane, so you can you it whenever you want."

"And how long do we have to stay here for?"

Cloud looked back at him then shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know. As long as it takes for the Organization to calm down a bit or for us to find you a better safe house. This seems like a pretty good option to me though."

A soft grunt escaped Squall; he had to agree, to a point. The cabin had more luxuries than the SeeD barracks did, and the location was appropriately isolated from prying eyes. However, he still couldn't be completely comfortable with the idea of being trapped out here. When Cloud, Axel, and Roxas went back into town, they would take the one and only car with them, leaving them stranded up at the campsite. If anything happened, they would have to hike the forty miles or so back down to Twilight Town, which was a less than appealing idea. "I guess."

Glancing over, Cloud frowned a bit before moving closer, "What? Something you want to change about the plan?"

"I'll let you know when I figure out what."

Cloud smirked dryly at the response, his eyes looking up the slight two inches to meet Squall's own stormy gaze, "What, still not happy?"

Squall raised an eyebrow, "After all this, there's something I'm supposed to be happy about?"

"Hm, good point…" Turning his head to look back over into the forest, Cloud's face drew into a slight frown, "This day hasn't exactly gone to plan."

It was Squall's turn to smirk, "That's one of the biggest understatements I've heard all year."

"I've heard worse." Turning back, Cloud blinked as he found his face mere inches from his lead suspect's.

Squall too was surprised, he hadn't realized that they had moved closer to each other and yet here he was, drowning in Cloud's electric blue eyes. It must have been late and he must have been tired because suddenly all he could focus on was images of the night they spent together flashing through his mind. The detective's lips looked so enticing that he had to struggle to avert his gaze; this was certainly not the time nor the place. Breaking whatever sexual tension that was building between them, Squall swallowed and looked back towards the window into the cabin, "We can't do this."

Cloud blinked again before he took a quick step back, his eyes narrowing as he realized what had almost happened, "Do what?"

"Exactly." Letting out a sigh, Squall combed his fingers through his hair, "Is it time for us to go in now?"

The blonde looked back down at his wristwatch before shaking his head, "Close enough. Let's get Axel up."

Not even waiting to hear Squall's reply, Cloud pushed the front door to the cabin open, taking only a few steps in before he froze. Nearly running into his back, Squall gave him an annoyed scowl until he saw what had stopped the detective. In the bed in front of them, Axel was squished onto the bed with Roxas, the two not actually touching anything except their foreheads, due to the fact that they were sharing a pillow. It was apparently too much for Cloud though, the man's face flushing a light pink, Squall suspecting more from rage than embarrassment. He was just about to tell him to lighten up until his eyes drifted to the next bed over. Squall stiffened as he caught sight of Sora and Riku, sharing a bed. And if that wasn't bad enough, Sora had cuddled up against the silver-haired assassin, one of Riku's arms stretched out over the youth's waist. Feeling Squall freeze up beside him, Cloud followed his gaze, moving just fast enough to keep Squall from storming over and beating the crap out of his accomplice. Grabbing the SeeD's arm, Cloud kept his grip tight, his voice tight as he whispered, "Keep your cool."

"But—"

"Just let it go tonight, alright? We'll both let it go, it's too late to deal with this…Besides, you should let your brother sleep, he's had a rough day."

Frown deepening into a scowl, Squall wrenched his arm away but kept himself from lunging at Riku and throttling the man, if only for Sora's sake. Cloud was right, Sora had been through too much and he didn't deserve to be startled awake at midnight for something that probably accidentally happened. Well, it was probably an accident on Sora's part, he could easily see Riku orchestrating the whole event. Forcing down another wave of rage, he gripped the bridge of his noise, willing himself to calm back down. It was fine. It would be fine. It would be fine, because he would be able to smack Riku around tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Cloud was able to take out his own frustrations by delivering a quick kick to Axel's leg, a harsh whisper quieting the redhead as he started awake, "Get your ass up, it's your turn to keep watch!"

"Huh…? Oh, yeah." Rubbing a hand over his face, Axel slowly sat up, running his hand through his hair, the usual red spikes flattened from the pillow, "Fuck…it's midnight already?"

"That's right. Now who do you want to go out with to make sure you don't fall back asleep out there?"

Axel's eyes narrowed groggily, "Are you kidding, it's way too cold to sleep out there. But," he paused for a moment to scan the other inhabitants of the cabin, "hell, I don't know…"

Glancing around as well, Cloud crossed his arms over his chest, "Since I wouldn't let Leon wake Riku up, your choice is pretty much between Roxas or Zexion."

Pulling a face, Axel pushed the sheet off, "Well between Roxy and that weirdo, I think I'll go with Roxy."

Cloud's eyes narrowed, "If I find out anything has happened out there—"

"Relax will you? If it's too cold to sleep, it's way too cold to mess around. Cuddling, maybe, but nothing more than that."

"If I found out that anything happened out there—"

"Okay, okay," Axel held up his hands, "I get it. Nothing's gonna happen, as much as that sucks…" Muttering the last part, Axel turned and nudged Roxas awake, "Hey, wake up."

"Mnn, Ax…? Wha's up?"

Seeing Cloud twitch a little at the rather uninhibited tone in his little brother's voice, Axel nudged Roxas a little harder, "Wake up, Cloud says our shift is starting."

This seemed to knock a little sense into him and Roxas's blue eyes blinked open, "Huh? Oh…'sup Cloud?"

Glaring down, Cloud watched as Roxas pushed himself up a little before letting out a sigh, "Just get up. Axel decided that you'll be going out on watch with him. I don't think I have to explain how much shit you'll be in if I catch the two of you messing around."

Rolling his eyes, Roxas combed his fingers through his hair to try and get some of the tangles out, "I can take a guess…But," his face grew more serious, "do you think you'll be okay in here by yourself? I mean, you will be the only officer in here if anything happens."

Looking around, Cloud put his hands on his hips, "I think I can handle this lot, considering that three fourths of them are passed out. Besides, if anything does happen, I'd hope that you guys would notice."

Patting Roxas on the back, Axel stood up, "Your brother makes a good point Roxy, I'm pretty sure we'll hear it if any gunshots start going off."

Roxas frowned but it wasn't like he could really argue with that. "Fine."

Stepping forward, Cloud slipped his wristwatch off, "Here, take this. How long are you going to stay out for?"

Accepting the watch, Roxas groggily latched it around his wrist, fumbling with the latch before Axel had to take over, strapping it on for him as Roxas looked moodily up at Cloud, "How about until five in the morning…? Ugh, I can't believe that I just suggested that…"

Cloud nodded, toed off his shoes, and began to pull off his jacket, "That sounds good. By then, the sun will have just started to come up so we won't necessarily need to have anyone on watch after that."

Seeing him throw the jacket on the ground, Roxas leaned towards it as Axel pulled on his own trench coat, "Hey Cloud, lemme borrow that. I'm going to freeze out there."

"It's not going to fit you."

Roxas frowned as he grabbed the article of clothing off of the ground and slipped it on anyway, the sleeves falling down about an inch past his fingertips and the bottom of the trench nearly brushing against the ground, "It's way too late, early, whatever the hell time it is, to care…"

Grinning down at the smaller blonde, Axel shook the expression off before Cloud noticed then waved for Roxas to follow him out, "Alright. Do your best to get some shut-eye partner, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow, er, today."

"Right." Watching Axel and Roxas shuffle out of the room and out onto the porch, Cloud let out a short huff before turning back to the bed. It was only then that he really noticed that there was only one of them. "Well this is just…awkward."

"What? Oh…" Squall followed Cloud's gaze and he immediately caught onto the situation. Awkward was putting it mildly. It wouldn't even have been so bad except that they had slept together and on that size of a bed, there was definitely nothing they could do to easily repress those memories.

Clearing his throat, Cloud sat down on the spot that until recently had been occupied by Roxas, "This doesn't have to be complicated. We just both have to be, mature about this, and simply focus on getting some sleep."

Looking at the half of the bed that had been reserved for him, Squall scanned the room for any other viable option. There was the hardwood floor, but he knew that he wouldn't get much sleep down there. Then there was the couch, but that was already taken up by a certain criminal mastermind. "Maybe I can get Zexion to switch…"

"I very much doubt it." Startled as a voice echoed back from said couch, Squall whipped his head around to see that Zexion's eyes were indeed open and glaring at him.

Throwing a glance over at Cloud, Squall narrowed his eyes, "Sorry, did we wake you?"

Shifting, Zexion crossed his arms over his lap, "I have yet to fall asleep, despite my attempts. Usually any insomnia I have can be accounted for by having too many things on my mind, but in this case my leg is making it difficult to sufficiently comfortable for sleep to come."

"So why won't you trade spots with me?"

"Because I have no desire to stand up. Besides that, I also have very little desire to lay in close contact with Detective Strife, no offense particularly meant Detective."

Cloud shrugged as he lay down in bed, "None taken, the feeling's mutual."

Squall snorted and glanced over at Sora and Riku. Guessing where his gaze had landed, Zexion let out a small hum, "You do not have to be so concerned about Riku, for the moment anyway."

Scowling, Squall turned his attention back to Zexion, "Easy for you to say, it's not your little brother on the line."

"Actually, I have been rather surprised by Riku's actions thus far."

"What do you mean?"

Thinking for a moment, Zexion took a breath before continuing, reminding Squall that the man was in pain, "I have known, known Riku for a while now and have seen him fall in and out of what he terms 'relationships'. In both his work and his love life, Riku enjoys having fragile things, or people, in his hands; the control inherent in that is what feeds him. Usually, his greatest pleasure comes from breaking them, but perhaps this time he is finding pleasure instead in protecting that fragile item."

Squall narrowed his eyes, "You seem to know a lot about it." That explained a lot about Riku's personality, but was that how Zexion thought as well?

Apparently understanding what Squall was implying, Zexion closed his eyes, "Do not give me that look. For me, Demyx is an escape to normalcy. He provides me with everything in life that my work does not. It allows me to keep my sanity."

"Hmph…" Maybe Zexion thought that Riku was changing but the fact that it sounded like most of Riku's other relationships has ended by him "breaking" his significant other, Squall still wasn't very enthusiastic about his brother associating with a guy like that.

Perhaps sensing Squall's returning desire to kill the silver-haired man, Cloud grabbed the pillow, "Good thing we already decided that you'd let them both sleep tonight. Now stop being a wuss and get over here."

Squall almost smirked, "Being a wuss has nothing to do with it." Pulling off his boots and setting his handgun on the rickety side table, he sat on the edge of the bed, "And why do you get the pillow?"

One of Cloud's eyes opened, "I deserve it after all the shit you've put me through."

This time Squall really did smirk as he slipped under the sheet, "Stop chasing us then."

"I don't think so; I've invested way too much into this to give up now."

"Good to know." Squall hesitated a second before laying down, his heart beating just a little harder as he found himself face to face with Cloud, "Stay on your side of the bed."

Cloud's eyes closed again and he smirked, "As long as you stay over there we won't have a problem…"

Letting out a breath, Squall balled up his leather jacket, using it as a make-shift pillow, and closed his eyes, "Whatever…" He knew what he was tired but he didn't know just how exhausted he was until he let himself unwind. With his brother sleeping in the next bed over, Riku and Zexion in the same room, and two police officers watching the front door, a feeling of momentary safety settled over him and he was able to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Squall woke to the feeling of the bed shifting next to him, his brow furrowing as the mattress dipped again. Momentarily forgetting where he was, he frowned in confusion. He was definitely not at home; the mattress was too deflated, the sheets smelt weird, and they were too thin. And why was the bed still moving? Letting his eyes flickered open, he took in his surroundings and everything from the day before came rushing back. Rolling onto his side, he found Roxas hovering over Cloud's side of the bed, trying to wake up his brother.

Seeing that he had woken up the wrong man, Roxas blanched slightly before giving a small, sheepish smile, his voice low as he whispered, "Sorry…"

Pushing himself up, Squall rubbed the back of his neck to try to work out a kink that had developed in the short hours he had been asleep, "…What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just time for us to come in."

Squall's eyes glanced up at the window to find that the sky outside had indeed begun to lighten. Eyes then traveling to the blonde laying beside him, he frowned, "Why do you want to wake him up?"

Roxas shifted his footing, "We, just need to talk about what we're going to do."

Grunting, Squall rested his head back down. He had a feeling he wasn't going to be allowed to eavesdrop, "It's funny, he came off as a light sleeper."

"He usually is. He must really be tired."

Closing his eyes again, Squall nestled in. He might as well try to get a little more rest, "Shake him harder then…"

He didn't need to listen for Roxas's response because a second later he felt the mattress give a few violent lurches as the smaller blonde shook his brother with more gusto. Hiding a smile as he heard Cloud start awake, Squall ignored the shift in the mattress as the his bed partner groggily untangled himself from beneath the thin sheet that served as their cover and rose to his feet. If he wasn't going to be a part of the conversation, he didn't see why he shouldn't catch up on a little more sleep. He would find out whatever decision the three law enforcement officers came up with soon enough anyway.

oOoOo

Checking back over his shoulder to make sure that Leon hadn't been too jostled when he had woken up, Cloud followed his brother back out to the porch of the cabin with a tired frown on his face. As the sunlight, dim though it was, hit his eyes he could already tell that this was not going to be a good week for his migraines. It was true that he usually got about the same amount of sleep on any other given day but usually it didn't come after such a stressful day at work. For a moment he almost envied Leon; at least the man was going to be able to sleep in for a little longer. Damn it, Cloud had been strangely comfortable in that small bed too…maybe it was just the sensation of sleeping next to another person again.

Roxas's voice shook him out of his daydream as Axel closed the cabin door behind them, "Why the hell were you sleeping in the same bed as Leon?"

Axel's face fell and Cloud, not wanting to admit anything to his younger brother, came up with an explanation as he hid an involuntary yawn behind his hand, "Because those were the only spaces left open to sleep in. I wasn't about to sleep on the floor and I didn't want to fight him for the bed."

"Sure, like that's the only reason…"

Cloud gave Axel a warning glare but it was too late; Roxas had caught the mumbled words, "What do you mean?"

"He didn't mean anything. He's just being an ass."

"Hey, I've been bored out here for the past five hours watching nothing but the sun rise, I deserve to be in a bad mood."

Looking around, there were clear signs that Axel had indeed been bored if the dozen or so burnt out cigarette butts had anything to say about it, "You're going to give Roxas second-hand lung cancer."

"I was downwind."

Before they could get too off-track again Roxas threw up his hands, "Wait! We need to talk about what we're going to do now! Now that we survived the night, what are we going to do with those four?"

Cloud let out a sigh; it was way too early in the morning to try and draw up any kind of plan, "Well, since it doesn't look like the Organization managed to follow us out here, they should be relatively safe up here for now." Shivering a little as the early morning chill began to seep in through his shirt, Cloud eyed the jacket Roxas had borrowed from him last night. He wasn't going to ask for it back but he was beginning to wish he had brought a spare. "For the moment, I guess the only thing we really can do is try to mediate things from our end in Twilight Town. Try to calm down the Organization, at least find a more permanent solution to Leon, Zexion, and Riku going into hiding. For the short term, when we go back in town today, one of us should probably come back up with some more supplies."

Axel leaned back against the rickety railing lining the porch, "So we're going back today then?"

"I think so. We have too many things that we should be doing in the office. Not only do we now have to try and develop our case on these guys but we have to make sure that they survive long enough to see their punishment, all the while apparently avoiding mentioning anything to anyone else in the station."

Roxas tilted his head, "Why's that?"

"That's right, you were out of the room when I told Axel. Apparently we have a spy for the Organization embedded within the Twilight Town PD."

Roxas started, "_What_?! No way, who is it?"

That's the sort of reaction that Cloud had been expecting from Axel as well: complete and utter horror and astonishment, an expression that looked like you had just been slapped across the face. That's how he had felt. "That's just the thing, I don't know."

"How do you know they're there then?"

"Leon told me, and, as much as I hate to say it, it makes sense. The Organization has been able to keep step with every angle of our investigation so far, so they must at least have access to some kind of inside information. It's actually good that this came up because, Rox, you have to promise that you won't leak information out to _anyone_ besides Axel and I until we get this thing sorted out."

"What are you going to do?"

"I figure I'll take it up with Head Detective Fisher directly. Since he's our supervisor, maybe he can get an official investigation of the matter set up and figure out who the rat is…"

Roxas looked impressed by the idea, "Really? That guy has always scared me a little."

Cloud had to admit, the man was a little intimidating, especially his appearance, but that didn't mean he was a bad guy. "He just takes a while to get used to I guess."

Axel, who had remained strangely quiet during their conversation, finally spoke up, his tone unusually thoughtful, "…I don't know if it would be a good idea to set up an investigation into the department yet. After all, if we spook the Organization's informant, we might loose control of our case."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, "How's that?"

Shrugging lightly, Axel straightened up, "Maybe we'd force the Organization to take more drastic measures to protect themselves. I'm not sure. All I'm thinking is that it might be a better idea to wait until after we wrap up our current project first."

Both blondes hesitated at the idea but after a few seconds Roxas gave a small nod, "I get it…if we threaten Organization, they might go on the offensive, maybe even target us along side those guys." Motioning with his head back into the cabin, the look on his face clearly showed his distaste at the idea of being associated with the criminals.

Still not completely convinced but knowing that he was out-voted two to one, Cloud decided to let the notion go for now. He would need Axel's and maybe even Roxas's support if he wanted to convince their supervisor to start up such an sensitive investigation so he was going to have to wait until they were fully on board. "Fine. We'll leave that until after we close this case, but it definitely needs to be addressed before the informant has time to slip any further under the radar. Either way, we still have plenty on our plates."

"Which means that we should get back to the office." Pulling his car keys out of his jacket pocket, Axel squinted up at the sun, "It'll probably be around the start of the day shift back at the station if we take off now. That would leave us a good amount of time to pull together some goods to send back up here."

Cloud nodded. He was anxious to get back as well. The faster they put together enough evidence to send Leon, Zexion, and Riku to trial, the faster they would be able to return to their own departmental investigation. "Sounds good. You guys go ahead and get back in the car, I'll let them know we're leaving."

As both Roxas and Axel gave a nod, Cloud stepped back towards the cabin and pushed open the front door. He had only taken a step inside when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned to find Zexion sitting completely upright on the couch.

The man calmly raised a brow at the detective's surprise, "So, you are leaving then?"

"You heard?"

"Nearly every word. Next time, I would advise you to take your conversation further away from the cabin if you wish to maintain your privacy in the future."

"I thought you were asleep."

"Unfortunately I have not gotten a single wink of sleep all night. When you go into town, by the way, I would be very much obliged if you could find me some pain killers. And not the weak variety either. I have a prescription from my physician if you need it but I am sure that the police have some sort of private pharmacy you can access."

Cloud relaxed only a bit as he walked further into the room towards Leon's prone figure. It looked like the man had actually been able to fall back asleep. "I'll see what I can do."

Zexion nodded, the criminal schemer watching with his piercing gaze as Cloud approached Leon's side of the bed and shook the SeeD's shoulder. That slight movement was all it took to bring Leon out of his slumber, the man's gray eyes flashing open and immediately locking onto Cloud. Pulling his hand back, Cloud crossed his arms over his chest, "Roxas, Axel and I are taking off to go back to Twilight Town. Zexion can apparently fill you in later but basically one of us will be back in a few hours to bring you more supplies for your temporary stay here. Is there anything you need?"

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, Leon shook his bangs out of his face, his voice rumbling as he spoke, "No, I don't need anything…except…" Leon fell silent for a moment, as if in deep thought, before he leaned down and fished something out of one of the pockets on his jacket which he had left on the floor. It was a key. "Here. It's to my house, so don't lose it. And don't make a copy of it. If I find you in there without my permission or a court warrant, I will kill you."

Annoyed by the fact that Leon thought he would illegally make a copy of his house key, Cloud frowned, "What the hell are you giving it to me for then?"

"I need you to get Sora's medicine out of his room. It'll be bad if he goes without it for more than twenty-four hours. There's about half a dozen different bottles on his nightstand, just bring them all. And remember to lock the house up after you're done."

Cloud rolled his eyes but accepted the key, "I think I can manage that." Of course, that meant that he had just obliged himself to drive all the way out to Traverse Town and back before someone made the supply trip. And since his car wasn't going anywhere any time fast, that meant that he was probably going to have to borrow Axel's car or take the train out.

"After this afternoon, when are you going to be back?"

"We can try to get someone to come up here everyday to make sure you haven't killed each other yet or been found out by the Organization." Lifting his head up, Cloud glanced around the small space, his eyes gliding from Sora and Riku to Leon over to Zexion on the couch and finally back to Leon, "If you don't cause any trouble and cooperate, this could be a good opportunity to earn points in court." Leon let out a soft snort and Cloud was pretty sure the argument was lost on the thief. Whatever, no one could say that he didn't try… "Then just behave yourself for the sake of making sure no one gets injured any more than they are now. At this point, a trip to the hospital would be way more trouble than it would be worth."

Leon frowned in response and Cloud took that as a sign for him to leave. Axel and Roxas were undoubtedly getting anxious in the car anyway. Walking towards the cabin door, Cloud paused as his finger touched the door knob, "By the way, no one other that one of the three of us should come up here. If anyone else drives in, they might be with the Organization, even if they're police. So, unless we tell you otherwise beforehand, if you see a stranger, it would probably be a good idea to subdue them. And by subdue I don't mean kill. You don't need any more murders on your rap sheet."

Leon's eyes narrowed, "I'm sure we'll be able to take care of ourselves."

"I know. That's what I'm worried about…" Muttering the last part, Cloud took his leave, closing the cabin door firmly behind him before making his way down to the awaiting car.

oOoOo

As he listened to the sound of Cloud's retreating footsteps echoing off of the wooden slats of the short staircase outside, Squall waited until he heard the sound of a car door opening and slamming before speaking up, his question directed towards Zexion, "What are you thinking?"

"I am thinking that we have gotten ourselves into quite an unpleasant situation." Zexion paused as they heard noise of an engine being revved up before the sound of Axel's car pulling out of the campgrounds reverberated throughout the cabin, "It would be wise to find a way out; if that is left up to the detectives, we will undoubtedly find ourselves being freed from this backwater dump only to be put behind bars."

Sitting up more, Squall leaned back against the wall of the cabin that had also served as their headboard, "And how are we going to do that? We're pretty much isolated up here since they just drove out the only vehicle. I was paying attention on the way up and by foot it would probably take at least a day to reach the edge of Twilight Town hiking directly through the foothills."

"Obviously we'll need to get a car somehow then, huh?"

Squall and Zexion both looked over to see Riku roll over so that he was facing them, the silver-haired man wide awake. Craning his neck to see that Sora was still fast asleep behind the assassin, a frown stretched back over Squall's face, "When did you wake up?"

"A while ago. It's pretty hard to sleep when so many people are talking. What I think is the real question here is why did you give up your house key so easily to Cloud?"

Squall's frown deepened as he growled out, "Maybe I should ask you why the hell you're sharing a bed with my brother instead."

"So you have the hots for the detective, huh? It's weird, I wouldn't of thought that'd be your type."

"Would you shut up?"

Squall's warning had the opposite effect however as Riku rose a silver brow, "Oh, so it's serious then. Have you slept with him yet?"

"_Riku_…"

"That's a big 'Yes'. You realize that this is probably going to cause huge problems for us later on, right?"

Shaking his head, Squall sent a Riku a dark glare, "Nothing's going to happen because nothing's there."

"I hope so." That had been Zexion this time, Squall feeling a little as if were being ganged up on as the man spoke up from his seat on the couch, "If Riku is right, the situation is more complicated than I had originally anticipated as we will not be able to count on you to do what is necessary to improve our situation."

"I'll do whatever needs to be done."

"Doubtful. But this is something that we can be able to overcome with some more planning. Riku was right when he said that we will need to get a car, the only question is how to do so. Since you have a personal connection with the detective you will probably be unwilling to help us incapacitate whoever comes up with supplies in order to steal their car. Besides, I am sure that they will come prepared to face such a situation…"

Riku leaned his head onto his palm, "I guess you'll just need to figure out something sneakier."

"Give me a few moments and I will come up with something."

Flopping down onto his back, Riku let out a heavy sigh, "Don't strain yourself. You have at least a few hours before we have any more company."

At the reminder, a heavy silence settled down throughout the cabin and Squall knew that nearly identical thoughts were running through all three of their minds. How the hell were they going to survive being stuck out together for so long?

Their fears, it turned out, were valid ones. While Squall was able to put up with Zexion and Riku for short periods of time or while under the stress of a heist, living with them was something else entirely. Having considered himself a man with a good deal of patience, Squall was pretty sure his limits were going to be tested when halfway through the first day he already wanted to strangle Riku and suffocate Zexion with a pillow. Luckily, Sora had slept in until about ten in the morning so he hadn't gotten the full brunt of it, and Squall had a sneaking suspicion Sora's presence was pretty much the only reason Riku was behaving himself at all.

Desperate to get out of the cabin, Squall grabbed Sora and they explored the surrounding woods for a while. It was a welcomed escape and Squall actually felt himself being able to calm back down. Although Sora had been relatively withdrawn for the last few hours, probably because he was understandably concerned about their situation, the teen was able to revert back to his old self as he climbed over fallen tree trunks and clamored through the underbrush. It reminded Squall of how adventurous his brother really was and he felt a little better about having to drag him into this mess.

After about four hours of roaming randomly through the forest, Squall decided that they should probably go back before it got dark and herded Sora back towards the cabin. He had been paying attention to where they were going for the most part and together they didn't have too much trouble finding their way back. Breaking into the clearing where the cabins were placed, Squall paused momentarily as he spotted a car sitting in front of their cabin, holding Sora back for a second until he was a hundred percent sure that it was one of the detectives or Roxas. Finding nothing to be immediately suspicious of, he continued to walk forward, truly relaxing only when he recognized the voices from inside the cabin. It was only Cloud then.

Before his hand could reach the door knob, the front door to the cabin was flung open to reveal the said blonde detective, Cloud glaring down at Squall as he and Sora walked calmly up the front steps of the porch, "Where he hell have you been?"

"Just taking a walk with Sora. You never said that we couldn't have a look around."

Cloud put his hands on his hips, "You can't just go wandering out into the woods for hours without letting someone know where you're going! When we come up, we need to able to verify that every single one of you is still alive and breathing before we leave."

Squall let Sora squeeze past him, an annoyed look coming over his face as the teen walked straight over to where Riku was sitting at the small kitchen table, a large pile of goods stacked up on the tabletop, "Good to know for next time. Is that what you brought?"

Glancing back, Cloud grudgingly let the problem of Squall's wandering drop, "That's right. It's just the basics; some food, a few pots and pans, water bottles. I managed to dig up some more blankets and pillows so the beds but since the heater's usable again, you shouldn't need too many. I already showed Zexion how to use the heater and the generator while you were out traipsing through the forest by the way, so if you have any questions ask him."

"What about Sora's medication?" Sora perked up at his name and walked over as Cloud nodded and pulled a bag from the large pocket of his trench coat.

Seeing that it was filled with his medicine, Sora let out a small gasp, "I totally forgot about that with everything going on! Ugh, I should probably take some of that now…"

Accepting the bag from the detective, Sora wandered back over to the table to try and dig out one of the bottles of water as Cloud retrieved Squall's house key from the same pocket, "And I this is yours I believe. And no, for the last time, I did not make a copy of it." Squall, having been about to comment, closed his mouth and instead took the key back from Cloud, "You're very good about not hiding any evidence by the way. Nothing in your house can connect you to anything at any of the crime scenes. There was that patch of blood on your SeeD uniform, but I guessed that was from an actual battle."

Squall bristled a bit at the thought of the blonde going into his room and riffling through his closet, "You went through my stuff?"

Cloud shrugged, "The opportunity presented itself, I would've been a moron to turn it down. Anyway, I need to get back to the station before anyone gets too curious." Turning so that he was addressing all of them, "Is there anything else anyone needs? If you don't tell me now, you'll have to wait to tell whoever comes tomorrow and then you won't get it until the day after that."

Riku looked up from his investigation of their dinner options, "Some sort of entertainment would be nice. I was about to shoot myself out of boredom today…"

"Which reminds me," Pushing himself up off of the couch, Zexion used his crutches to limp over to the where Cloud and Squall were standing. Cloud must have brought some pain killers with him too then. "I believe that we could use more ammunition. Unless Riku or Leon have a hidden supply of shells with them, we are almost out thanks to that little car chase yesterday."

Cloud just stared back at the man, "So you really think that I'm going to give three criminals more ammo?"

"If you want us to be able to defend ourselves out in here if the Organization shows up then yes, you will."

Squall was surprised to see that Cloud actually seemed to consider the proposition before the blonde shook his head, "I don't think so. I have a feeling the three of you would be able to figure something out."

With that, Cloud gave a quick nod to excuse himself and walked out of the cabin and back to into his car, driving away not a minute later. Turning to Zexion, Squall raised a brow, "You actually expected that he'd give us more ammo?"

"I figured that it would be worth a try. But, now that the question has been raised, how many more shots do the both of you have?"

Frowning, Squall pulled out his handgun, which he had had tucked under his belt all day. He was starting to wish that he had thought to ask Cloud to pick up his side holster when the detective had gone to his house. Checking the clip, Squall sighed, "I only have five shots left…I used up all of my extra clips during the chase."

"I'm down to about three shots."

Squall let out a breath. "You don't have a gun on you, right Zexion?"

"That is correct."

That meant that between them they only had eight shots left if something were to happen. Even with their skill, that was going to make it very hard to survive if the Organization actually did show up. "We should probably find a way to get out of here as soon as possible then. Staying all together in one place like this for too long will make it easy for the Organization to hunt us down."

No one seemed to disagree with him. Grabbing two boxes of macaroni and cheese from the mix of stuff on the table, Riku looked up at Zexion, "So, have you come up with that plan yet?"

"It is coming along." Zexion paused, eying the box of mac and cheese in the silver-haired man's hand, before a thoughtful look managed to pass through his eyes, dulled though they were from the pain meds. "In fact, how would you feel about leaving tomorrow?"

Motioning for Sora to dig a pot out, Riku leaned against the kitchen counter, "Tomorrow? You don't think that's putting our necks back out there a little too soon?"

"No. More than twenty four hours will have passed. The Organization may be keeping an eye out, but they will probably not be expecting so quick of a return. Besides, the detectives are not the only ones with business to take care of."

Squall narrowed his eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Revenge. I am talking about revenge."

For the rest of the night, Squall, Riku, and Zexion planned for the next day, Squall giving up trying to keep Sora from listening since there was no where else the teen could really go besides the cabin. Their immediate focus was how to get out of their isolation and back into Traverse Town, the actual plan not as simple as it sounded. To get out of the campsite and at least down into Twilight Town they would either have to walk or wait until one of the police officers came up with a car that they could use to get back down to the coast. Then there came the question of if they did use one of the cops' cars, how would they do that? Would they incapacitate the cop, no matter who it was, and just steal the car, or was there another way to get a rid into town?

Settling out all of the disagreements between them, it was well into the early hours of the morning by the time they had worked out all the small details. Sora had passed out sometime around midnight on one of the beds, which Squall was thankful for, and he quickly claimed the spot next to his brother to sleep in before Riku could get any ideas. The gunman just rolled his eyes and jumped onto the other bed, "Stay on your side Zex, or I'll push you off, broken leg or not."

Brow twitching in annoyance, Zexion leaned his crutches against the wall before sliding in under the covers, "We will not have any problems as long as you keep your hands to yourself."

Tuning out the rest of their whispered argument, Squall rolled over so that he was facing away from them and towards Sora. The boy looked so peaceful in his sleep…although he knew that that would be ruined in a few minutes as soon as Sora started to flop around like he usually did in his sleep. Closing his eyes, Squall willed sleep to come quickly; they had a busy day planned out for tomorrow.

* * *

Roxas checked anxiously in the rear-view mirror as he drove up to the police training camp, expecting to see a black Organization vehicle following him at any second. He didn't know why Cloud had made him come up today, he and Axel weren't doing anything other than going down to the lab to process evidence.

Letting out a long breath to try and calm his nerves, Roxas's spirits were picked up a little as he caught sight of the gate to the camp from behind a row of trees up ahead. At least he was almost there. But then again, maybe that wasn't the best thing, considering "there" was the temporary hideout of three expert, no-nonsense criminals, and their unfortunate tag-along. He had been shocked yesterday when Cloud returned and reported that they had been relatively compilable, except for a little issue having something to do with Leon wandering around.

As he drove into the campsite, it was clear that no one was doing any wandering today. Leon and Sora were out in front of the cabin and it appeared as though the older Leonhart was trying to show the younger how to use his handgun. Making sure that they saw him, Roxas slowed his pace and parked at a distance from their make-shift gun range. He definitely did not want to be in the path of any stray bullets and it would be almost as bad if the car got hit. He was borrowing Axel's and the redhead would kill him if it came back with battle scars. He would've taken Cloud's but it was still in the shop; one of the first things the blonde had done once he got back to Twilight Town was to call up a tow truck to get his car but it was still with the mechanic and probably wouldn't be ready until the end of the week. Apparently it needed a lot of work.

Stepping out of the car, Roxas saw Riku walk out of the cabin, the man giving Roxas a small, smug smile which instantly put him on guard. Pretending like everything was fine, Roxas grabbed the small bag of groceries Cloud had packed him with and shut the car door, speaking loud enough so that Riku could hear him on the porch, "How's everything going?"

"Fine I guess. Still boring as hell."

"Oh, right!" Digging around in his pocket, Roxas pulled out a deck of cards and threw it at Riku who caught it easily, "Cloud says those are for you."

"Oh, cards. Fun…"

Ignoring the sarcasm dripping from the man's voice, Roxas instead continued on cautiously to where Leon and Sora were standing, "And what are you guys doing over here?"

Leon glanced over his shoulder at him before turning back to his younger brother, the shorter brunette uncertainly holding Leon's handgun with both hands in the ready position. "I figured that it's about time I teach Sora how to use a gun properly."

Roxas narrowed his eyes, "Are you actually going to shoot something?"

He was answered by a shrug. "Probably just one shot into the dirt. We apparently have a shortage of ammunition so it'd be stupid to waste it on target practice."

"Alright, well, just don't hurt yourselves I guess." Roxas lifted up the bag in his hand, "I'm going to go put this stuff inside."

"Thanks."

Giving the man a nod, Roxas nonetheless kept Sora and the gun in the teen's hand in his peripheral vision as he walked up to the cabin, brushing by Riku who was watching the brothers from the porch. Pushing the door open, Roxas glanced around to find Zexion sitting on the couch scribbling something down on a pad of paper. He immediately recognized the pad of paper and pen as some of the things they had put together for the felons yesterday morning. "What are you working on?"

Zexion glanced up once, not seeming surprised by the blonde's presence, before going back to whatever he was writing, "Nothing much. However, since you are here, I have a favor to ask of you."

And Roxas was instantly back on guard. Setting the bag of food down on the rickety table, he eyed Zexion suspiciously. From what Cloud and Axel had told him, and from what he had seen for himself, Zexion was the real brains behind their operations so it would probably be a bad idea to underestimate the man, even when he was nearly incapacitated by a broken leg. "What is it?"

Setting down the pad of paper, Zexion gave his full attention to the policeman, "I was wondering if I would be able to use your cell phone. You see, mine ran out of power quite a while ago and I am worried that my friend has gotten in trouble because of what has happened."

Roxas frowned and thought it over. He was a little wary about letting the man use his cell phone but it seemed kind of cruel to not let the man make his call. Especially since he was pretty sure what "friend" Zexion wanted to call. "Fine." Pulling his phone from his pants' pocket, he walked over to the couch and passed it to the schemer, "I only get one bar up here so it might cut out on you...But put it on speaker phone so I can hear who you're calling and what you're saying. I'm not going to let you pull anything on me."

"Of course, that sounds reasonable considering the situation." Brushing a strand of hair out of his face, the man held the phone up to his ear after dialing a number from memory. As soon as someone picked up on the other end of the line, Zexion put it on speaker, "Demyx? Are you there?"

"_Oh my god, Ienzo?! Are you alright_?"

"Relax Demyx, I am fine. I am…in hiding for the moment. You are, by the way, on speaker phone, so please do not say anything too embarrassing."

"_Don't worry, I won't! I'm just so glad you're alright! What happened_?"

"We were met with some unfortunate circumstances but things have begun to settle out. What about you, did anyone else come after you after I left?"

"_No. Well, someone drove by but I'm not even sure they were the same people, you know? Anyway, Xigbar scared them off by giving them that death glare of his. Or maybe it was the rifle he was holding…Either way they're gone now, so no problem._"

Zexion ran his free hand through his hair and Roxas could pretty much feel the worry rolling off of him, "Yes, well, just try to remain inside for a few more days."

"_Aw, alright. But the band won't be happy, we were supposed to do a gig tomorrow night._"

"Call in sick; surely you deserve an occasional break." Looking up, Zexion let out a small sigh, "I should probably get off the line soon. I just wanted to call to see whether or not you were okay."

Roxas heard Demyx's voice soften even from where he was standing, "_I'm glad you did. I was worried sick about you so it's nice to hear that you're, you know, alive and stuff. Oh! Is your leg giving you any problems_?"

"Nothing that is not bearable. I am not sure when I will be able to call next, but I will try to check in again within the week."

"_Okay! I'll be waiting! Take care of yourself, alright_?"

"You too. Good-bye Dem."

"_Bye Ienzo! Love you_!"

Rolling his eyes, Zexion looked away from where Roxas was standing, muttering a quick, "You too" before ending the call. The man still managed to maintain his composure as he passed the phone back to its owner, "Thank you."

"S'alright." Shifting awkwardly, Roxas pocketed his cell phone, "Look, I wouldn't have minded if you said more of a good bye to him. He's really your boyfriend, right?"

Zexion paused before he gave a small smirk, "That is correct. I suppose you are not quite as oblivious as I had thought."

"I _do_ know a lot about your case you know. But, if you're done now, I need to get back into Twilight Town. I have a major backlog of paperwork to get through…" Ugh, he had almost forgotten about that huge stack of papers waiting for him back on his desk in all of the excitement.

"Very well. I do not believe that there is anything more that we need here."

"Good. One of us will be back tomorrow anyway to check up on you guys." Checking once around the room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Roxas turned back towards the door. Stepping outside, he spotted Sora and Leon still at it, although by the way Leon was lining Sora up, it looked like he was about to have the teen try to take a shot into a tree trunk about twenty feet away. Jumping in the car, he started it up, not wanting to wait around or mess the kid up by driving around when he was aiming. Making a tight U-turn, he glanced up at the rear-view mirror back at them and shook his head. If they were already this bored today, he hated to think about what they were going to be like for whoever came up tomorrow. And he was going to make sure that it wasn't going to be him.

oOoOo

Waiting until he heard the car drive out of the campgrounds, Squall rested a hand on Sora's back as the boy lined up his shot, "That's enough."

Letting out a breath, Sora smiled shakily up at his brother, "Did I do alright?"

"You did great. And I think you might have actually learned something."

Sora's grin grew stronger, "I think I actually did too!"

Tapping his brother's forehead, Squall smirked back, "Just remember, if you ever have to actually fire it, you'll have to be ready for the recoil. Even on a handgun the kickback can be pretty strong."

Nodding, Sora delicately handed the weapon back to Squall who stuck it back into his belt. As they both turned towards the cabin, Squall saw Zexion coming out to stand on the porch, the man looking positively self-satisfied. It probably helped his mood that he had the chance to speak with Demyx. "Well? Did the plan go through?"

Shielding his eyes from the glare of the setting sun, Squall nodded again, "Worked like a charm. The kid didn't seem to suspect a thing."

"That is because we both provided him with a decent, believable distraction to keep his attention diverted. He clearly did not want to be in the area when Sora there fired off a practice round, which was even better."

Sora's brow furrowed slightly, "Do you think that Riku's okay?"

Zexion didn't look at all concerned, "I am sure this is not the first time that man has stowed away in someone's trunk. With any luck, he will be able to escape soon after Roxas returns to the station and quickly find us a car."

Squall looked down at Sora then nudged his little brother who was still looking a little worried, "Let's get something to eat before Riku gets back and pack up a bag for us to take with us."

"Sounds good! Will you guys have food where you're going?"

The working plan was that they would drop Sora off with Demyx to stay for a few days while the rest of them finished up their business from their traditional headquarters in Traverse Town. Neither Demyx nor Xigbar for that matter knew anything about the plan, but Zexion had assured Squall that both men would probably be fine with the situation. At Sora's question Squall turned to Zexion who thought for a moment, "I believe our 'office' does contain an emergency supply of food. However, it would probably be best to bring back as much of Twilight Town's generous donations as possible. With any luck, we will not have to be there for very long but you can never be too careful."

Riku didn't disappoint any of their expectations. About an hour after Roxas had left the camp, the sound of a car engine returned to the clearing, headlights cutting through the building darkness as it drove straight up to the cabin. Looking up from the food he had been packing into one of the bags, Sora's face brightened and he ran to the door, throwing it open before Squall could even warn the teen to be cautious, "Riku! You're back!"

The silver-haired man was smirking as he walked up the steps and into the small building, giving Sora a quick pat on the shoulder before turning to his accomplices, "So? Did that go perfectly or what?"

Walking over to the window, Squall let out a small noise of surprise, "Well you could have done worse." Outside was a fast-looking luxury vehicle that was just flashy enough to have a sort of sex-appeal, which undoubtedly attracted Riku to it in the first place, and yet not stand out too much on the road.

Even Zexion seemed mildly impressed at the find, "You made good time."

"Yeah, I only had to go across the street from the station to find that so it didn't take me too long."

Zexion raised a brow, "Stealing a car across from the police station. Brazen, yet I suppose I should not have expected anything less from you."

Riku's smile spread, "The gas tank is even full. Now, who's ready to get out of this hellhole and remind the Organization exactly who they're messing with?"


	15. Chapter 15

Good grief, it's so cold here right now! It's definitely winter now, no matter what the calendar says. I know that I don't really have a right to complain, being that I live in California and all, but for people living in a place where it can get over 110˚F in the summer, waking up to 25˚F temperatures does not suit our blood well. The worst part is that it's not even snowing! Well, the frost almost looks like snow if you squint…

Anyway, thank you very much to all of those who reviewed the last chapter: Lucia-luce, Nekotsubasa, Kareian, Shinimegami7, b4k4 ch4n, chibi heishi, Aindel S. Druida, CloudedMirror89, flammula, Clockwork Phoenix, An Antique Heart, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Dragi, ramen-is-my-goddess, DeNiSaY60, ooXloveXoo582, , RealityInABottle, xHanako, MadeInHolland, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel, Hi Kitsune, Bane-Dane, bliss, Becca86, shebajay, and LoneBoy7!! You dudes rock! Extra special thanks go to LoneBoy7 for the awesome fanart drawing! Yay! I put a link to it on my profile, go check it out! You have no idea how much it makes my day to get these kinds of things! :D

Now get somewhere warm (unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere in which case I hope that you appreciate your summer) and please enjoy the next chapter! ^^

O

* * *

Chapter 15

* * *

Soon after Riku returned, they were ready to go, not wanting to wait around for their little disappearing act to be discovered by the Twilight Town PD. Squall didn't protest as Riku hopped into the driver's seat, mostly because he was fine sitting next to Sora in the back. Coming out of the cabin a few minutes later, Zexion hobbled down the stairs as gracefully as one could while one had a broken leg, and took his spot in the passenger's seat. Glancing back, he gave everyone inside a brief once-over, "Has everyone got what they need?"

Nodding, Squall buckled his seatbelt. He did not want to take any chances with Riku behind the wheel. "The food's in the trunk, Sora has his meds, and we carried out everything we brought in."

"Excellent. Well then, Riku, to Xigbar's house please."

Riku snorted but turned the ignition key, "Yes _sir_. What am I, your chauffer?"

"Of course not. I would pay my chauffer. Now get going before someone notices something went wrong."

"Keep up that attitude and you'll be walking back to Traverse, broken leg or not."

Squall smiled a little as Zexion fell quiet after that, not even he wanted to test the truth in Riku's threat. As the silver-haired man began to drive them out of the camp grounds and towards Twilight Town, Squall's attention was diverted by a tug on his jacket's sleeve. Seeing him look down, Sora frowned uncertainly, "So, I get most of the plan but, who is it exactly that I'm going to be staying with?"

Opening his mouth to answer, Squall was beaten to it by Zexion, "You will be staying with Demyx. To be more precise, you will be staying with Demyx's friend Xigbar, until this whole matter is solved."

Eyeing the man from behind, Sora's frown didn't fade away, "And who's Demyx?"

Zexion didn't even blink, "Demyx is my boyfriend and he will treat you well. He always has had a strange affinity for the younger generation, probably because they at times match his maturity level…"

Rolling his eyes, Riku tossed a glance over his shoulder, "Relax Sora. Demyx is a good guy and not in our, line of business. I can't say I know Xigbar, but Demyx will take care of you."

Sora gave the driver a weak grin and nodded. Biting his lip to stop a snide comment from escaping, Squall instead reached out and ruffled his brother's hair. The gesture seemed to calm the teen and his shoulder's finally relaxed and he turned his smile up towards Squall. Giving a small smile back, Squall looked into Sora's sky blue eyes, "You'll be alright and this is the best I can do for the both of us right now. So, stay with Demyx until I come pick you up. You'll have to miss a bit more school but that's better than the alternative."

Sora let out a half-hearted groan as he slumped against Squall, "I'm gonna get held back again after this!"

"Don't worry; I'll help you with your homework."

Sora sat up a bit, "You remember how to do algebra?"

"Fine. I'll have Zexion help you with your homework."

His response came as a quick scoff from up front, "I think not. I do not waste my time _tutoring in_ _algebra_. Besides, it would be much faster to simply hack into the school system and alter your grades superficially. That too is beneath someone of my skill level so unfortunately you are on your own."

Shrugging at Sora, Squall's smile lasted a while as Sora fell back against him with a soft sigh of exasperation.

The teen remained pretty much where he was during the whole ride back to Traverse Town. At first Squall was surprised by how pouty Sora was being before he looked down and saw the concerned look on Sora's face. Well, on half his face, the other half nestled against Squall's leather jacket. Sora didn't want to let him go. And he couldn't say that he didn't like the feeling.

Not wanting to break the moment, he contented himself with keeping an eye on Riku's driving as they flew through the countryside, skimmed through the outskirts of Twilight Town, then raced back out onto the intercity highway. The sky had grown nearly completely dark by now but Riku didn't seem perturbed by it at all, keeping the car sliding through traffic at a pace that just fell short of reckless as the headlights cut sharply through the night.

After their first small bout of conversation, the ride was mostly silent, the quiet only broken when Squall or Zexion would yell at Riku for doing something particularly stupid. Only once the Traverse Town city limits sign blew by did Zexion turn around slightly in his seat so that he could look back at the Leonharts, "Do either of you by chance have a working cell phone?"

Pulling his out, Squall shook his head as he found that he couldn't even turn it on, "My batteries are out."

"Here, mine's still good."

Sora fished his own cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to Zexion who gave a small nod in return, "This will only take a minute. I thought it would be best if I called ahead first."

Frowning, Riku glanced away from the road as he was maneuvering them from the fast land back towards the off-ramp, "We're ten minutes away, and you decide to call now?"

"It is less to ask their permission than to see whether or not they are home. And for the last time, eyes on the road Riku, you almost sideswiped that truck!"

Dialing, Zexion ignored Riku's response and pulled the phone up to his ear, everyone listening in but only able to hear Zexion's side of the conversation.

"Hello, Demyx?...Yes. I have a favor to ask of both you and Xigbar…Are you at his house?...Good, stay there I will be there momentarily…Yes, 'for real'…Okay, see you soon. Goodbye…"

Zexion hung up and passed the cell phone back to Sora, "Is he home?"

"Yes, they are both there. Riku, do you remember the way?"

"Give me some credit, I was just there two days ago you know." Exiting the freeway, he drove them not towards the city center but out towards the back of the First District. Squall knew that they had a few housing developments there, mostly for the people who ran the stores downtown, but had never been there himself. As Riku navigated through the neighborhood, he tried to develop his own mental map of the place, just in case he had to come back by himself to pick Sora up.

Finally, they pulled over to the curb and Zexion motioned towards the house sitting across the street, "That is Xigbar's house." Squall frowned a little. The house itself was alright, but the yard looked like it was falling into a bit of disrepair, some of the window screens looked askew or torn, and he could see the trash overflowing from the side yard. It looked like a college kid's house, not an adult's. Catching his expression, Zexion raised a brow, "Admittedly it is not the cleanliest environment, but the interior is somewhat more inhabitable than the exterior would have you believe. Now," Unbuckling his seatbelt, Zexion opened the side door, "if you all would follow me in, there is another matter which I wish to discuss with Xigbar before we leave."

Riku shrugged but turned off the ignition as Squall and Sora climbed out of the back. Waiting for his brother to join him, Squall crossed his arms over his chest, "You have everything you need, right?"

Sora blinked, "Well, I have my meds."

"I guess that's all you really need for now..." Beginning to follow as Zexion slowly made his way across the street, Squall began to get that sinking feeling of questioning whether or not what he was about to do was the right thing, "You're going to need to stay with Demyx and this Xigbar guy until I come and get you, alright? Try not to leave the house and if anything happens try to call me. I'll see if I can find a way to charge my phone…I don't want you calling anyone else though, okay? Except maybe your doctor if you're having medical troubles, but that's it."

"Okay, I guess…How long are you going to be?"

"I can't be sure. Probably no more than a week."

"A week?! I have to stay here inside for a whole week?"

Squall sighed. He knew that his brother hated being cooped up inside. "That's right. Do your best."

Sora groaned but fell quiet as Zexion made it up to the front door and rang the door bell. Immediately the door was flung open to reveal Demyx's face, the man practically jumping out to throw his arms around his shorter boyfriend's neck, "You're really not dead!"

Zexion let out a breath but allowed the hug, going so far as to place a quick peck on Demyx's cheek before he pulled away, "I do not know why you keep insisting that I have been killed."

"Well, it's been all over the news recently."

That caught Zexion's attention, "What has?"

Stepping aside so that they could come in, Demyx closed the front door behind them. "All the shooting and stuff. And that wreck outside of Twilight Town, you know, where that car flipped? And they said they found a stolen car in the driveway of a house nearby and when they showed a picture of it, I knew it was the one you had. And it was full of bullet holes and those two cars were totaled! And then there was that shooting actually in Twilight Town a few days ago that they started talking about when all that was brought up and it's just been crazy! Well, I guess for most people it wouldn't seem too weird but every time I hear something about it I always think that something's finally happened to you."

"Hm. I had not counted on gaining the media's attention. You have not told anyone anything about us, have you Demyx?"

The blonde shook his head, "No way! You know I wouldn't do that!"

"I do know, sometimes I just have to check."

Demyx's face relaxed into a soft smile before he blinked, "Oh, right! You wanted a favor?"

At the question, Squall stepped forward, pulling a reluctant Sora from behind him, "I need you to watch my brother, Sora for me while we're gone. I know that it's not really something I should be asking of you but he's being targeted and I need to know that he'll be safe."

Demyx looked from Squall to Zexion then down to Sora and blinked before a smile spread across his face, "Sure, no problem." Bending down so that he and Sora where at the same eye level, he held out his hand, which Sora took after a moment in a firm handshake, "Don't worry Sora, I'll take care of you. Hey, do you like video games?"

Sora's face brightened and Squall instantly felt better about his decision, "Yeah!"

Demyx's grin widened, "Good! Now I'll have someone to play with while Xig's at work!" The man straightened up and motioned back behind him towards the house, "It's way too boring being study in here alone, so it'll be nice to have someone else stuck here with me! Um, there's not really an extra bedroom, but you can have the couch. Trust me, it's definitely comfortable enough to sleep on, I've been there a few times."

Clearing his throat, Zexion caught his boyfriend's attention, "Are you sure it will be fine with Xigbar?"

Before Demyx even had time to reply, another voice answered from one of the side rooms, "Is he sure what will be fine with Xigbar?" And just like that, Squall was back on guard. The man who stepped out from around the corner was nothing short of intimidating, an eye patch covering his right eye while a huge scar that rivaled Squall's own cut down his left cheek. His dark hair that was pulled back into a long ponytail was streaked with gray, making Squall wonder how old the man actually was.

Only he and Sora though seemed to be in any sort of state of shock, Demyx quickly turning to the man with a grin, "Hey Xiggy, it's cool if Sora here stays for a while, right?"

"Aw, man, another freeloader? Fine, but he's gotta be your responsibility Dem. It's enough trouble looking after one of you, much less guarding both of your butts.'

"Awesome! See, it's fine."

Squall gave a small nod in thanks, still trying to figure out exactly who this Xigbar guy was when Zexion stepped forward, "Thank you very much Xigbar, but there is one more matter that I wished to discuss before we disappear. Have you gotten rid of your 'collection' yet?"

Xigbar blinked, the man stilling for a moment before an almost feral smirk spread across his face, "As if! You interested?"

"At the moment we seem to have a need for some of your goods. Unfortunately I have no way to repay you for the rental as of now but I hope something can be arranged?"

"Sure dude. I'll consider your boyfriend your collateral. Follow me down to my office and I'll see what we can do."

As Xigbar turned to go back deeper into the house, Zexion glanced over his shoulder at Riku and Squall, "Come along, I will need the extra hands."

Checking to make sure that Sora was being occupied by Demyx, Squall obeyed, falling in step beside Riku as they followed Zexion. Turning the corner, Squall realized that Xigbar was taking them down into the basement of the house. "Riku, do you know what's going on?"

The assassin was looking around curiously, "I have an idea. Zexion mentioned Xigbar's weird hobby to me once."

"What do you mean by 'hobby', and what did Zexion mean by 'collection'?"

Riku tisked, "You just don't have any patience, do you? You'll find out in a minute."

Scowling, Squall saw he wasn't going to get any information out of his accomplice. Turning his attention instead onto the men in front of them, he watched as Xigbar walked them across the small basement and to a large metal door built into the wall. Entering a keycode into the high-tech lock, Xigbar addressed them from over his shoulder, "Now remember, this isn't something you need to go telling everyone about. I don't need every wacko off the street coming to me. Actually, I don't even think Dem realizes what goes down here, bless his naïve, seriously dense little heart."

Zexion only raised a brow as Xigbar pushed the door open, "I believe Demyx thinks you deal drugs. Certainly not too wild of an accusation given your countenance." Stepping passed the taller man, Zexion walked through the metal door and flicked on a light inside, pausing only to wave for Riku and Squall to follow.

Doing so, Squall's eyes widened as he brushed passed Xigbar, his footsteps halting as he just took a moment to look around. No wonder Xigbar's basement was so small, most of it seemed to have been converted into this, this, well, he could only really describe it as an arsenal. Hanging on the walls, sitting on shelves, and stacked up on tables in the center of the room were nearly every single type of gun and ammunition available to civilians and the military. Eyes skimming over the rows and rows of firearms, he gaze was immediately caught by one in particular and he walked over to it as if in a trance as Riku whistled behind him. "Just a hobby, huh? Do all these work?"

Xigbar crossed his arms, a level of pride evident in his voice as he watched the three men look over his collection, "Totally. Every single one is in perfect condition and ready to go! Usually I don't let people in here, but go ahead and pick whatever you guys want; I know you're good for it."

Reaching out, Squall delicately picked up the automatic rifle hanging on the wall in front of him. It was the exact model that SeeD used in combat. Just like his SeeD-issued handgun, the rifle felt right in his arms, the weight perfectly balanced up through his arms and onto his shoulder. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he looked sharply over at Xigbar, "How did you get all of these? Civilians don't have authorization to purchase most of these weapons."

"There's this thing called the black market, heard of it?" Sticking his hands in his pockets, Xigbar walked over to him, his visible eye flashing, "Nice choice, by the way. Military issue assault rifle, fully automatic. Has some issues but you can beat the shit out of it and it will still work. You even look like you know how to hold it."

Without even looking up from his examination of small handguns, Zexion explained, "Leon was a member of the SeeD mercenary group. It is not surprising that he would choose a weapon familiar to him."

"SeeD, huh? Awesome." Xigbar shrugged as he moved to get some ammunition for the gun Squall had picked, "I tried getting in once but it didn't work out well. Apparently I don't know how to 'obey my commanding officer'. Whatever, the guy just wasn't letting me have enough fun."

Squall really didn't want to know what this man's idea of "fun" was, although he suspected that it had something to do with shooting things. "Why do you own so many weapons? Are you a local supplier?"

"As if! This is just my personal collection."

Choosing two new guns for himself, Zexion joined them, "Xigbar is simply eccentric, although he has been kind enough over the years to allow me access to his assortment of weaponry."

"Only 'cause shorty here stumbled into my vault. Little smart ass was just supposed to be visiting with Demyx and instead he disappears and the next thing I know my gun locker's been invaded and Ienzo's poking through my stuff!"

Zexion just shrugged, denying nothing. "I cannot be blamed for your substandard security measures. If you had not wanted me to investigate than you should not have made your vault so enticing—"

Interrupting from the other side of the room, Riku motioned towards a high-end sniper rifle, "I don't know how you got that, but I'll buy it off of you. How much do you want for it?"

"Sorry dude, not for sale. You can borrow it if you want, but that's it man."

"Fine." Snatching the mentioned gun off of the wall, Riku picked up the other two handguns he had selected and set the pile onto the table next to where the rest of the group had gathered. "But you're going to tell me where you got it."

"A true enthusiast never reveals his sources dude." Looking over what they had, Xigbar nodded before tossing them a large black duffle bag, "You might wanna pack those up when you take them out so no one asks any questions."

After following his advice, the four emerged from the basement to find Sora and Demyx still talking to each other, although now Demyx seemed to be showing off the guitar in his hands with some enthusiasm. Squall smiled just a little at the sight as he adjusted the weight of the duffle bag on his shoulder. It looked like Sora was going to be alright here. Well, he still didn't trust Xigbar but Demyx seemed half-way decent. And in a weird way he supposed that it was reassuring to know that Sora was going to be under the protection of a guy like Xigbar.

Waiting for a break in their conversation, Squall walked over to Sora, resting a hand on the teen's head to get his attention, "Hey Sor, I think we're taking off soon."

"Already?" It had been Demyx who replied, the rocker standing up as Zexion moved over to the door, "But you just got here. Do you want to stay for dinner or something?"

Zexion shook his head, "I apologize, but we have work that needs to be done. Also, the longer we stay here, the more of a chance there is that we are putting you at risk."

"How long are you going to be out this time?"

"I cannot be sure. Hopefully not too long. If all goes well then you should be hearing about our work on the news. Riku, Leon, it is time for us to go."

Nodding, Squall gave Sora's hair one last ruffle, "Behave yourself, but more importantly stay safe."

Sora frowned anxiously up at his brother, "I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about!"

"Don't stress out too much," Squall lurched forward as Riku swung an arm around his neck, the silver-haired man sending Sora a cocky wink, "I'll watch out for him."

Growling, Squall shoved Riku's arm off, reluctantly slightly grateful as he heard Sora let out a light laugh. "I can watch myself; I'm the one who'll probably end up having to save your ass."

"We'll see—"

"—If you two are quite done, we should be leaving. Now."

Squall frowned at the interruption but nevertheless walked towards the door as Zexion walked stepped out onto the sidewalk, Riku grudgingly following at his heels. Waving back at Sora, he closed the front door behind them and headed straight for the car, stowing their new cache of weapons in the trunk as soon as Riku had the vehicle unlocked. Riku slid into the driver's seat once again as the other two men got inside, "So, back to HQ then?"

Zexion nodded, "Exactly. I do not think that the Organization is yet aware of its location so it should be safe."

"Alright. I'll park in the back alley. I'll have to dump the car soon anyway…Shame, it's pretty nice."

Since they were already in Traverse Town, the drive back to the Third District didn't take long even with Riku taking the back roads and side streets. Pretty soon they had arrived at their destination and between Squall and Riku managed to get all of their supplies inside in one trip, Zexion insisting that he would be of little use because of his leg. Whatever, he could've carried a couple of water bottles at least.

It was strange how much of a relief it was for Squall to be back inside their little hideout. Dropping a bag of food on the table, he pulled the duffle bag full of weaponry off of his shoulder and set it down gently. Stretching, he turned to Zexion as Riku dumped the food supplies that he had brought it, "I'm assuming that you have some sort of plan about what to do next?"

Zexion took a seat at the computer, calmly booting it up as Riku flopped down onto the couch, "Of course. I have had a long while to think on it after all." Entering a password, he spun his chair around to look at them as he waited for his computer to log in, his face suddenly serious, "Although it is true that we may have made the first offense against the Organization, their retaliation methods were quite frankly insulting. Revenge at this point would not only have the benefit of personal satisfaction but it is required of us if we wish to maintain any sort of reputation in our profession."

Sitting down at the table, Squall crossed his arms, "So we're going to attack the Organization? They have a lot of resources, it won't be easy for us to do with only three people."

"I never said that it would be easy. But it is possible. In this case, we will be able to move differently than we have in the past as this will not be a heist but instead a simple statement to show that we will not be intimated nor are we to be trifled with. Also, an important aspect of this whole matter is that we might be able to get the detectives off of our trail as well."

Squall stiffened, "You're not thinking of going after them too?"

"To the contrary, I am thinking of working with them." The small smirk that had spread across Zexion's lips made Squall doubt it, "When we infiltrate the Organization's building for the second time, if we gather evidence of their illegal activities from the inside, then the law will finally have some proof and be able to prosecute some of the Organizations most prominent members. I am sure that even the Twilight Town detectives would rather bring down the Organization if given the chance than bother with freelancers such as ourselves."

Finally it dawned on Squall what the man meant, "You're going to cut a deal with them. How do you know that will work?"

Riku waved a hand dismissively, "It'll work."

"Done it before?"

"More times than you would think."

Rolling his eyes, Zexion turned back to his computer, "I am sure we will at least be able to manage a significant reduction in our sentences, depending on the type of information we are able to bring out. However, the one thing that we will have to remember is that we cannot be connected with the crime this time. You must be prepared to leave no witnesses behind."

Pausing, Squall gave a small nod, "I can do that."

"You will have to. Now, I will be unable to accompany you this time thanks to my little fall so I will have to wait outside again in the van and verbally guide you through the security systems. I will try to develop a program that can easily allow either one of you to hack into their computer network to download the necessary incriminating files. As for the revenge aspect…Riku, could you go into the back room and get something for me? It is in a metal box on the floor of the closet."

Letting out a rough sigh, Riku rolled off of the couch and onto his feet, "I'm getting pretty tired of you telling me what to do…"

"I promise that you will not mind this."

A moment of silence fell between Squall and Zexion as Riku dragged himself into the next room, the only noise the sound of Zexion's hands flying over the keyboard as he went to work on something. He heard rustling from the back room and metal scraping against metal before Riku's voice rang back into the main space, "Holy shit, Zex, this is awesome!"

Dread immediately filled Squall. Whatever Riku found so amazing was not going to be good. His suspicions were confirmed as Riku carried out a heavy looking metal container and set it down in the middle of the room. Fearing what was inside but too curious not to look, Squall got to his feet and peered over Riku's shoulder. "Zexion?"

"Yes Leon?"

"Why did you have a box full of C-4 in your closet?"

"For special occasions. Now, you had better begin to make your preparations because we are making our move tomorrow night."

* * *

Axel let out a sigh as he walked out of the station, the soles of his shoes scuffing against the ground as Cloud followed close behind, another small package in his hand for their convict friends up at the training camp. Cloud frowned at the noise but didn't bother to say anything, knowing that the argument it would start would not be worth it. Neither he nor Axel were in the best of moods after having spent all day yesterday trying to compile a legitimate case against Leon, Riku, and Zexion. Not to mention having to explain to Head Detective Fisher where the hell they had disappeared to the day before. Now today Axel had already gotten roped into being the delivery boy and Cloud wasn't about to test his luck with the redhead.

Rolling his eyes, Axel shielded his eyes from the late morning sun as he walked towards his car in the parking lot, "You hear about that car that was stolen yesterday from across the street?"

Cloud nodded, leaning against the side of Axel's car as he waited for his partner to unlock it, "I heard about it from Roxas. It's sad to think that someone could have their car stolen right from under our noses."

"Seriously, you think someone would have seen something…" Eyeing the small package in Cloud's hands, Axel walked over to the trunk and unlatched it, "Gimme that and I'll stick it back here for the ride. Wait a minute…what's this doing here?"

Turning his head, Cloud watched in mild interest as Axel picked something up from the middle of his trunk, a frown spreading across the redhead's face as he looked at it. "It's a playing card. Weird. I can't even remember the last time I held a pack of cards…"

Playing card? Cloud's full attention was now on Axel as he tossed the package he had been holding into the trunk, "Let me see it."

"Sure."

Taking the card from Axel, Cloud turned it over in his hands, a feeling of dread welling up inside of him. It looked like it had come from the deck of cards he had sent up with Roxas yesterday to give to Riku. It was one of the joker cards. What were the chances that the joker card would fall out… "Where exactly did you find this?"

"Just sitting in the middle of trunk. Why, what's the big deal?"

Cloud clenched his hand, the card folded and bent in his fist, "Damn it. We need to get up there, now!"

"What's the rush?"

Cloud wrenched the passenger side door open and jumped inside, "Just go!"

"Alright, alright!" Slamming the trunk shut, Axel slid into the driver's seat and started the car, not speaking again until they were on the road, "What's going on?"

"That was from the deck of cards that I sent up with Roxas to give to Riku. When I gave it to him, Roxas put the sealed deck into his pocket to take up and when he came back he said that he gave them to Riku directly when he arrived."

Axel frowned, "If Rox had the cards in his pocket then how'd one end up in my trunk?"

Cloud scowled, "Unless the joker card happened to get stuck in Rox's pocket and then somehow managed to fall out into the trunk, there's only one thing that I can think of."

Remaining silent for a second, Axel's eyes suddenly narrowed, "Riku was in my trunk?"

"And I doubt the fact that the joker card was left exactly in the center of your trunk was a coincidence. He was telling us something, and I'm guessing it's that we've just been played. Can't you drive any faster?"

"I'm going as fast as I can! I don't want to hit anyone just because of a hunch of yours!"

"Where are your lights?"

Axel frowned, "I'm not putting on my lights for your being paranoid! Now relax already, we'll get there soon, alright?"

The drive, although only lasting a short fifteen minutes, seemed to drag on for Cloud as he sat anxiously in his seat. There was no good reason for Riku to be anywhere near Axel's car, especially since the detective didn't actually keep anything inside the trunk of his car since it was his personal vehicle. The idea that the silver-haired felon might have used his younger brother's inexperience to make a move made Cloud's blood boil. It was one thing to try to pull one over on him or Axel but to get Roxas involved was way out of line. Of course, he shouldn't have expected anything better from them.

Finally the approached the police training camp after a brisk drive through the woods, Cloud immediately on guard as they were met with nothing but silence as Axel drove up to the main cabin. His suspicion finally seemed to wear off a little on Axel who narrowed his green eyes as he scanned the area, "I don't see anything weird...except you'd think that they'd at least check out the window to make sure it was us."

Cloud nodded, fingering his sidearm, "Are you armed?"

"Yeah." Cutting the engine, Axel cautiously opened his door, "I'll go first, you come in close behind me. But don't go barging in, they could just be sleeping in or something."

Somehow sleeping in the middle of the day didn't sound like something any of them, including Sora, would do, but Cloud kept himself from forcing his way inside immediately. Following Axel up to the cabin door, one hand ready to pull his weapon at a moment's notice, he waited tensely as Axel rapped on the door with his knuckles, "Hello? Anyone home?"

No reply. Eyes hardening, Axel gave a small nod and they both pulled out their guns. At this point, the best case scenario, and the least likely, was that all four men were asleep. The worst case scenario was that the Organization had already gotten to them and that there was an ambush waiting for them inside. Watching Axel take a breath, the redhead only gave a small warning before he jumped back and kicked open the door

The front door crashed open, apparently not having been locked and Axel and Cloud quickly rushed inside, ready for anything. What they found was an abandoned room. Still cautious, Cloud walked over to the beds to check underneath them while Axel slunk over to the bathroom, a second passing before he spoke up, "Clear!"

Cloud sighed as he straightened up, "All clear here too."

Holstering his pistol, Axel put his hands on his hips, "Looks like they skipped out on us!"

"Yeah." Cloud frowned as he sat down on one of the mattresses, "So Riku probably climbed into the back of the car without Rox noticing and got a ride back to Twilight Town, then somehow came back here and picked the rest of them up…Damn it, this means I have to reprimand Roxas now—"

He was interrupted as Axel started as if he had been shocked, "The car!"

"What?"

"That stolen car!" Spinning around, Axel's eyes were lit up, "I'll bet you that Riku was the one who stole that car across from the police station! It was reported missing not too long after Rox got back."

Cloud was instantly back on his feet, "That does seem like something he would do. We have the license number for the stolen vehicle on file already, we can put out an alert to see if we can't track it down."

Axel's face fell at the idea, "That probably won't do much good. They're too smart to hang on to a stolen car for that long."

"But at least we'll know what city they ended up in. I'm guessing that they didn't go too far."

"Why's that?"

"First off because they have Sora with them. I think it was pretty clear that Leon wanted to keep the kid out of it as much as possible so I doubt that they would have just driven off with him on board. They probably went somewhere familiar, at least somewhere Leon thought it was safe to leave Sora before driving off again. And second, because Zexion's boyfriend lives in Traverse Town. Roxas said that Zexion called him yesterday and they sounded fairly close so I don't think that Zexion would want to move too far away from him."

"Alright. Then we should start looking for places where Leon could've dropped Sora off. Maybe he'll still be there."

Cloud nodded quickly. They had been thrown back into the game. "We'll need to get a list of all of their relatives, friends and acquaintances. We can start with Leon's house and then check in with Zexion's boyfriend to see if he made any surprise visits. I think they mentioned something about him staying with a friend though, so we'll also have to build a list of all of the boyfriend's connections to try and find out where he is…" Cloud's voice trailed off as he noticed that Axel's attention seemed to be drifting, "Are you getting all of this?"

"Huh? Yeah. It just looks like they left us a note."

"What?" Axel pointed over to the kitchen table where the only thing left was the pad of paper and pen Cloud had sent up for them, something written across the lined paper. Both detectives quickly made their way across the room and leaned over the table. The lettering was a tight, neat scrawl with a sort of structured elegance to it that immediately let Cloud know that it had been Zexion who had wrote it out.

_Detectives Strife and Flynn, etc.,_

_You are by now undoubtedly aware that we have made our escape at the expense of your momentary carelessness. I thank you for your concern over our safety but we are no longer interested in partaking in your hospitality. These walls have grown much too confining and we have decided to once again take matters into our own hands. For what it is worth, I can assure you that we no longer intend to go into hiding but shall instead focus our energies on reducing our necessary sentencing in the eyes of the law. There is no doubt in my mind that we will meet again soon, but perhaps next time it will be under more favorable circumstances. Until that time, may I suggest taking a vacation? Too much stress is not good for one's health._

_Sincerely,_

_Z, R, and L_

Cloud narrowed his eyes as he finished reading, waiting half a second for Axel to look up, the man's green eyes flashing, "They're totally making fun of us!"

"Probably, but what I'm more worried about is what he meant when he said that they were going to try to get their sentences reduced."

"Do you think they're going to return some of the goods they stole?"

Thinking for a moment, Cloud shook his head, "I don't know. That doesn't seem like them. Anyway, this tells me that I was probably right in thinking they didn't run off too far. If they're really not going back into hiding, it should be a lot easier to find them."

Picking up the pad of paper, Axel tore off the top sheet, "Let's hold onto this for a while and see if we can read any more into it." He folded it up and stuck it into his pocket before turning to Cloud, "Now, I guess we'd better head back to town, unless you want to take their advice and take a quick vacation."

Cloud sighed as he followed Axel out of the cabin, "Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to get a break until all three of them are behind bars…"

* * *

Before Squall even fully realized what was happening, a full day had passed and they were getting ready to head out. He hadn't stepped a foot out of the building for the past twenty-four hours, all three of them too busy trying to develop a plan that usually would have taken them at least two weeks to set up. They had even taken turns sleeping, Squall discovering that there was a small bed in the back which he gratefully used to take a brief four hour nap on. Usually he wouldn't have even bothered but he knew that he was going to have to be at the top of his game that night.

As they began to pack, Squall couldn't help but think that they looked like they were preparing for an all-out assault against the Organization rather than a quick break-in. Which, in a way, he supposed was true. Making sure that all of their firearms were loaded and working, Squall eyed Riku as he lifted up the box full of explosives to load into the back of the van, "Be careful with that."

Letting out a breath as he readjusted his grip on the heavy metal container, Riku threw him back a glare, "Yeah, like I was planning on throwing it across the room. I know how to handle this stuff."

So did Squall. Although it had definitely not been in their usual supply kit, every now and again SeeD managed to make use of C-4, usually using small amounts to blow open sealed enemy hideouts. "Just take it easy. It's bad enough we'll have to be riding in back with that stuff."

Riku scoffed then looked down into the box, "Hey, do you think that, since we'll be carrying this stuff in with us, if it gets hit by a shot, it'll get set off and we'll all just blow up?"

Blinking, Squall set the gun he was holding down. "I don't know…I've never heard of a round being able to trigger the explosion, but I haven't heard anything saying it wouldn't either."

"Let's hope it doesn't then. And try to take out everyone else with a weapon before they get a shot off."

"I do hope that the both of you managed to develop a more detailed plan than that."

Squall looked up as Zexion walked back inside. He had slipped out only a few minutes ago to pull up the van from whatever dark corner of the city he had it parked in. He had changed into clothes more suited for their job, back to wearing that hooded sweatshirt and those tight-fitting pants that literally made him look a decade younger than he actually was. Squall and Riku on the other hand were still wearing what they had came in with, not having had the luxury of having a change of clothes with them. Luckily, they were decked out in mostly dark colors anyway, so hopefully they weren't going to be at too much of a disadvantage.

Riku just grinned cheekily at the schemer, "Nope, that's pretty much it. Just run in and start shooting people. That's what you wanted, right?"

Zexion didn't look amused and turned his sharp gaze to Squall, "Please tell me he is just joking?"

Squall nodded and picked up his assault rifle and Riku's sniper rifle, "He's joking. But our plan's not much more complex."

"Perfect…" Heaving a sigh, Zexion unplugged his laptop and a few other electronic equipment, "As long as you get the job done, without being caught sight of, I suppose it does not matter which methods you use. After all, I will be in the van this time around so if you mess up, I will be able to make my getaway before the authorities arrive."

There was no doubt in Squall's mind that Zexion would actually go through with his threat if it came down to it. Hopefully they wouldn't have to test it. With that thought bouncing around in his head, Squall was hardly bothered by all the heavy lifting as he and Riku, mostly him, loaded up the back of the truck as Zexion organized it all. He was less surprised than he thought he was going to be when he finally stepped outside and found that it was dark once again, an entire day having passed by without him seeing one glimmer of sunlight. It made it seem like less than a few hours had passed since they had first arrived.

By the time that they were ready to go there was less space then ever in the back for him and Riku to stand, the space filled with Zexion's complex computing equipment, their new guns, and, of course, the box full of C-4. Riku scowled at Zexion as the man hobbled up to close them in, "You'd better drive fast, or else we're going to run out of oxygen back here."

Zexion had the gall to smirk at them as he momentarily set down his crutches so that he could get a firm hold on the door, "I am sure that you will manage somehow. Just try not to fall on any of the weaponry; it might garner a bit of attention on the highway if a small explosion suddenly erupts from the back of the van."

Squall and Riku exchanged a look. That was definitely not something that they were going to allow to happen. "Just close the door already and get us on the road. We're wasting moonlight!"

"If you insist."


	16. Chapter 16

Hey dudes! Whoo, next chapter! Good news is that it has been warming up a little from last week: although it's still winter and stuff, the weather is no longer unusually frigid. Bad news is that both I and my sister (and editor) had minor surgery done at the beginning of this week (that's the thing about being a twin; when there's something wrong with one of you, usually the other has it too). We're both doing fine and almost back to normal by now, but the "bad news" part comes in because I wrote a little over half this chapter under the influence of pain killers. So…ya. I'll try to edit as many oddities out as I can, but I'm not sure if I got everything…

Much thanks to: Shukakku the adorable raccoon, An Antique Heart, Caithdean, ramen-is-my-goddess, Hi Kitsune, Kikurukina Bal Des'cagel, dumdam, Nekotsubasa, Lucia-luce, xHanako, Shinimegami7, Arid Tundra, BlackCatHikari, MadeInHolland, Clockwork Phoenix, DeNiSaY60, SlippingSanity, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, Dragi, Bane-Dane, ooXloveXoo582, , Aindel S. Druida, Cracked Plastic Crown, ChaosGarden, Blah..., Becca86, chibi heishi, and b4k4 ch4n!!! And, of course, a very Merry Christmas (Happy Haunkkah, etc.) to you all! This isn't particularly (at all) holiday-ish, but I hope that you enjoy nonetheless!

O

* * *

Chapter 16

* * *

Squall and Riku remained silent for the most part as they felt Zexion increase his speed, undoubtedly pulling onto the highway, a little more aggressively than usual. As he gripped a shelf to keep his balance, a thought came across Squall's mind, "Hey Riku."

"Yeah?"

"Why the hell is Zexion driving us to Dark City?"

Moving a computer case to the floor so that he could lean up against the wall, Riku frowned up at him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean his leg's still broken and he's probably so drugged up on vicodin that he can barely see straight!"

"Oh, yeah." Riku seemed a lot less concerned than Squall felt, "I guess he figured that he was good enough to go. I'm pretty sure since we got back he's actually stuck to the recommended dosage of his meds, probably because he doesn't want to run out while he's cut off from his supply."

"But he's still driving with a broken leg!"

"Maybe he's using his left foot to work the pedals? Either way, the little guy seems to be doing all right."

Squall scowled and glanced over at the box of explosives with a more wary eye, "This is ridiculous…we're going to die before we even get there!"

"If you're so bothered by it, why don't you just ask him about it yourself?"

Raising a brow at him, Riku just rolled his eyes and jammed his thumb towards the pair of headsets resting on top of a crate behind him. Squall grimaced but leaned over the gunman, trying not to fall on top of him as Zexion merged into the fast lane, and snatched the headset up. Flicking it on, he shoved it onto his head and adjusted the mouthpiece, "Zexion? Are you on?"

There was a soft flicker of static before Zexion's voice came through, "—_What can I do for you, Leon?—_"

Well, he sounded lucid enough. "You can tell me how you're managing to drive the van with a cast on."

"—_You need not be worried for your safety. I have worked out a system that adequately suits my needs. After having been forced to be driven around by Riku I realized that my learning how to drive, no matter the circumstances, was an imperative necessity for my sanity. This, I suppose, is my trial run.—_"

Squall closed his eyes, rubbing his brow with his hand, "Could you have maybe saved this little experiment for some time when we didn't have a box of C-4 in the back?"

"—_Perhaps, but I did not have the time before the beginning of this operation. I nevertheless have full confidence in my abilities—_"

"I'm glad someone does…" Not wanting to waste too much battery power, Squall flipped off the power on the headset and let out a breath. This was not the best way to start a mission.

Riku smirked at his sigh, "So, good news?"

"I blame you and your driving. Either that or the drugs are getting to his brain."

"Either one's likely. Maybe both."

Squall snorted. That sounded about right.

Not having to change their clothes, having no extra pair of clothes to change into, there wasn't much for Squall and Riku to do for the rest of the trip but think on what they were going to do. And it didn't bring Squall too much more comfort. What they were about to do still seemed a little suicidal to him, but he, Riku, and Zexion had had a good deal of conversations and debates about the issue already. Zexion had been positive that moving so fast was for the best. He made the good point that the Organization would not be expecting such an immediate response. It was also likely that the Organization currently had less people guarding their tower and more people out on the streets looking for the three of them. Personally Squall would have liked a little more time to work out the details of their plan but he had been outvoted. On the positive side, this meant that everything was going to be over faster, but as for the negatives, it probably meant that they had a worse chance of making it out in one piece.

Trying to keep his nerves steady, despite the van's occasional swerve or sudden change in speed, Squall was almost grateful as they seemed to pull off of the highway. Riku lifted his head, apparently having been able to relax enough to take a short nap, and released a yawn, "How much time has gone by?"

"Enough for us to get to Dark City."

"Show time then…Let's get those guns out."

Squall straightened up with a grunt and grabbed the duffel bag, pulling out his rifle before passing it to Riku. He already had his handgun ready to go, with a few extra clips courtesy of Xigbar, and had dug up a simple belt holster for it at their headquarters. Looking up, he saw Riku holster his two pistols before pulling his sniper rifle out of the bag, his fingers running over the barrel as if it was made of gold. It was first thing that he had ever seen Riku handle delicately. "You really like that thing?"

Riku looked up sharply before pulling the rifle completely out of the duffle bag, "This _thing_ is the newest, most precise sniper rifle yet invented. It's nearly impossible to find on the market, I don't know how Xigbar got his hands on it."

"Yeah, but do you know how to use it?"

He got a scoff in return, "In my hands this baby could knock the wings off a fly at a hundred yards."

Squall smirked up at him. "Too bad we won't be shooting any flies tonight."

"Well, I'll have to come up with something even better then."

"I'll count on it."

Bracing himself again as the back of the van lurched to a stop, Squall grip tightened on his gun as he heard the engine turn off. "I think we're here."

Riku nodded, "Sounds like it." They both perked up as they heard the driver's door open, the men able to hear footsteps coming around to the back of the van through the quiet. The handle jiggled for a moment before the back doors swung open and Zexion appeared, his face lit up by blue neon.

"Are the both of you ready to go?"

Pushing passed him, Riku stepped out onto the concrete, "Of course. Just a little surprised to get here alive."

Zexion sniffed, "I appreciate your confidence."

Squall jumped out of van as Zexion motioned for him to move and took a good look around. They were definitely in Dark City; the aura of the city was enough to give it away, the shadow-covered skyscrapers looking as if they stretched all the way up to the starless night sky. It looked like Zexion had driven them into a back alley behind the Organization's tower, the van itself hidden from the tower's view.

Zexion climbed clumsily into the back of the van, taking a few seconds before he was able to swing his broken leg in. Clamoring inside, he shoved the box of C-4 towards them "Here, fill up your bags. The more you carry in, the better, in my opinion."

Riku smirked as he caught the smaller of the two bags Zexion then tossed towards them, Squall catching the other as he silver-haired man spoke up, "You know, I think I like this side of you Zex. I don't think I've ever seen you quite so ticked off before."

"No, I should say not." Zexion wasn't even looking at them anymore but was instead setting up his computer station, screens springing to life as he flipped the now-emptied C-4 container over to create a make-shift seat.

Squall shouldered his bag filled with half of their C-4, testing the weight of that plus his guns and ammunition. It was manageable, less weight than he had to carry around as a SeeD anyway. Of course, that was mostly because he didn't have the normal body armor on. Hopefully he would be able to keep in mind that cotton and leather didn't exactly protect against bullets the same way that the body armor did.

"Riku, put your headset on and turn yours back on Leon. As we have discussed, I will not be able to go with you this time, so you will have to inform me of your every step." Looking up at his computer screen, he waited a minute for something to download before pulling out something that looked like a USB flash drive, "Take this. Plug it into one of the higher ups computers and the program I installed on it should be able to hack through their security system and download the data essential for our freedom."

Reaching out, Squall delicately accepted the small device, not wanting to damage it as he slipped it into his pocket. Meanwhile Riku pulled his hair back into a ponytail and pulled on his headseat, the man scowling a little as his bangs fell back into his face. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

Spinning around on his crate, Zexion crossed his arms, his eyes skimming over Squall and Riku as if to make sure that they were fully equipped for their job, "After studying the blueprints of the tower for a long while last night I discovered another way in that may be easier for you. It is a door in the back of the tower, used mostly to move trash out of the building and into the dumpster, but it will provide you entrance into the first level. Admittedly there will be more security cameras but there will be less danger of you being spotted by passer-bys which is my main concern for this first step."

Squall glanced up towards the tower looming over them from around the corner, "So from there we'll have to use the staircase to get up to the fifth floor?"

Zexion nodded, "That is correct. It would still be too dangerous for you to take the elevator and there is no other way up then the stairs. I even checked the ventilation systems but they would be too small to fit through, not to mention that they would be incredibly noisy to climb through." His eyes had drifted back onto the screens in front of him as he was speaking, "It seems that I will not be able to disable the alarm system without setting off an alert to the security team so you will have to disable each security device as they come along. I will guide you through the process as best as I am able, but you may have to get creative."

Pulling on a pair of leather gloves, Riku nodded, "I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out when we get there. You just make sure that no one sees this van lurking around."

"Do not worry about me." Leaning down, Zexion checked the clock in the corner of his screen, "As far as I can figure the guards on duty will be changing shifts in about half an hour. Given that, you have a half hour to get through any security systems and get yourself up to that fifth floor."

Squall looked back up at the dark sky, "Then we'd better get going. Come on Riku, we've got work to do."

"I'm just waiting on you!"

Looking back at Riku, Squall saw that he was indeed ready to go. Letting out a breath of annoyance, he turned on his headset before closing the back of the van, sealing off the light from Zexion's computer screens and throwing them into the relative darkness of the city.

Squall felt a tap on his shoulder and he saw Riku turn and begin to walk towards the end of the alleyway. Following his partner, they both crouched down as soon as they reached the corner, Squall holding his breath as they looked up at their monolithic target. He almost jumped as his headset crackled to life, "—_The back door should be right in front of you, perhaps a little to the left. Be careful though, there are security cameras at several locations.—_"

"Got it." Raising his sniper gun, Riku checked through his scope, Squall waiting for him to scan the building. "I see one camera above the back door, another at the top of the building, and, wouldn't you know, there's one right above the fifth floor, looking down. It's almost like they're paranoid or something."

Squall rolled his eyes, "Imagine that. Does it look like we can get around their field of vision? If we're caught sight of now it could ruin the entire operation before we get started."

"We won't have to worry about that." Riku smirked and flicked the safety off of his sniper gun.

Squall straightened up, "Wait, you're going to wake up the whole neighborhood if you fire that off here!"

"Relax, it has a built-in silencing apparatus. Now sit back and let me do my job."

That's right. Riku, besides being a thief, was first and foremost a sniper and an assassin. He had never actually seen Riku do that kind of work before, though it looked like he was about to get his chance.

Using a crate to steady the end of the rifle, Riku closed one eye as he lined up his shot. Then his finger tightened on the trigger and there was a muffled bang as the gun recoiled, the soft sound of glass shattering reaching his ears a millisecond later. "What'd you hit?"

Riku spared him a glance before he lined up a second shot, "I broke the lens on the camera above the back door. After I knock out the other two cameras we can go in."

Squall blinked at the reply. If Riku did as he said, that would be an amazing series of shots. The lead sniper in their SeeD unit wasn't even as proficient. Nevertheless, it took Riku less than five minutes to shatter the lenses of the other two security cameras, a cocky smirk on his face as he straightened up and turned back to Squall. "How's that for talent?"

"Not bad, although we won't have much time before the security guards notice that three of their cameras are down."

"You never can just give me a compliment, can you?"

Squall smirked in response and rose to his feet, "Come on; we have to make this fast."

Riku scoffed at the brush-off but kept pace with him as Squall cautiously made his way to the back of the skyscraper. The back door, as Zexion had said, was clearly used by custodians and employees to take out trash, bring in deliveries, and the like, because it was much less impressive than the front façade. The door itself was made of a thick metal, a keypad serving as a lock, just like most of the other doors in the building. Frowning at it, Squall pressed a hand to his headset, "Alright, we made it to the first roadblock. What's the plan?"

"—_Remove the casing off of the keypad.—_" Squall did so, prying the plastic cover off to expose a bunch of wiring and microchips. There was no way this was going to be easy. "—_Now in the bag I threw you to pack up the C-4 in also has in it that electronic device that you saw me using on our last venture into the Organization's building. Get it out and clip it onto the main circuit board. Then let the device run through a matrix of pass codes—_"

Squall tried to pay attention to what the other man was saying but as soon as he said circuit board he stopped following anything that Zexion was explaining. Riku seemed to be of the same opinion and, as Zexion continued to explain how exactly to manipulate the electronics, covered up his microphone so that Zexion couldn't hear him, "Yeah, no way is that shit happening."

Nodding in agreement, Squall motioned for him to take a step back from the door. Pulling out his assault rifle, he took a small breath then swung the butt of the rifle hard into the middle of the circuitry, sparks flying out as he pulled away for another strike. As tiny pieces of metal shrapnel tumbled to the concrete, they heard the sound of a bolt sliding open. They exchanged a smug look as Zexion's voice flooded back into his head, "—_And then when the device has found the correct code, the light on the top of the keycode box should turn green and the door should be open. Have you followed my instructions?—_"

Squall tilted his head and tested the door handle, "Well, the door's unlocked."

"—_Very good. Now, when you proceed inside you should find yourself in the main lobby. I assume that you are able to recall where they stairs are?—_"

"I would hope so, we were just here a few days ago."

"Shh." Squall held up his hand for silence as they stepped into the building. Although there hadn't been any guards on the ground floor the first time they came, that didn't mean that the same was going to be true for tonight. Not only that, but from their last trip to the tower he knew that sound carried extraordinarily well through the floors and particularly up the stairwells.

Luckily, Zexion apparently had gotten his timing down once again and all of the regular employees had gone home for the night, the first floor deserted. Wielding his assault rifle and with Riku holding his sniper rifle at the ready they moved quickly and purposefully across the marble tile. As they moved, both men kept their eyes and ears open for people or security cameras. They knew that Zexion was right; the only way that they were going to be able to make a deal with the police was if they didn't get connected with this break-in.

They walked straight passed the elevator, as before, Squall moving with more confidence as they entered back into familiar territory. Pausing at the front of the staircase, Squall listened for any signs of people coming up or down. The only sound that reached his ears was the noise of his heart beating in his chest. Time to move then. Motioning with a quick flick of his hand, he heard Riku follow him up as he began to run up the stairs.

Without Zexion with them they were able to move much faster, each man keeping pace with the other as they reached the second floor, then the third, and the fourth, Squall only stopping for a breath as they reached the fifth floor. Riku eyed the door to the Organization's office complex and then the keypad separating them from whatever lay inside, keeping his voice quiet so as not to attract the attention of anyone on the other side, "I doubt that we're just going to be able to smash this one open without causing problems…"

"—_Pardon me?—_"

"Oh yeah, you're listening. I forgot for a minute. Anyway, about _this_ lock, any suggestions?"

"—_Well, you could do what I actually told you to do before, how does that sound?—_"

"Um," Squall pulled the duffle bag off of his shoulder in order to dig through the C-4 to find that electronic thing Zexion had said was in there, "Could you go over those directions again?"

They both heard a sigh so loud that Squall was surprised no one came to investigate. "—_Honestly, I should have expected this…Just rip the cover off of the thing, plug the device in and press the big red button. There, simple enough for you?—_"

"I think I can handle that." Finally Squall's fingers wrapped around a cold metal box, at the very bottom of the bag of course, and he pulled it out. Riku was one step ahead of him, yanking off the plastic casing and Squall began to fiddle with the electronics as soon as he took a step back. After trying a few different ways to plug the device in, it finally clicked into place and little lights began to flash. Squall assumed that meant it was working. He was never good with little things like this; sure, give him a motor and he could do anything you wanted with it but microelectronics were beyond his comprehension.

A tense moment passed as they waited for it to finish, Riku moving to stand with one ear pressed against the doorframe. From the expression on his face, Squall guessed that he was able to hear movement from inside. That didn't surprise him though. There were sure to be guards posted, maybe even more than last time.

Just when he was about to check in with Zexion to make sure that he hadn't messed it up, a small green light flashed on and they heard the click of the lock. Taking a breath, Riku reached forward and, after a second, gently turned the handle, opening the door just a sliver before Squall unplugged the device and shoved it back into his bag. Their eyes met as Squall looked up again, Riku's teal eyes gleaming with anticipation as he whispered into his mic, "Alright Zex, we're in."

"—_You know what to do then. Computer data first, then the finale. Remember, leave no witnesses.—_"

Squall gave a tight nod and Riku's grip tightened on the door handle, "You ready?" Lifting his rifle up onto his shoulder in response, Squall positioned himself carefully at the door. He didn't know what was going to be waiting for them on the other side, but whoever it was, they were taking their last few breaths of air. Squall didn't know if he was ready, mentally, for this, but either way it was happening now and he didn't have a choice about it. If they succeeded, not only would they get the Organization off of their backs but they might have a chance of avoiding that lifetime sentence that Cloud so desperately wanted to assign to each of them. The people inside were not innocents, not civilians; they were members of the Organization, enemy combatants. He could do this.

All his thoughts, which had flashed through his mind in the span of a breath, were shut off as Riku flung the door to the office complex open. Now running purely on instinct and training, Squall's focus zeroed in on one, no, two guards in range, and his finger tightened on the trigger of his rifle sending a spray of shots into the first man before the door even opened all the way. Riku took care of the second, one well-placed round between the eyes sending the man to the ground, dead before he had time to blink.

So far, so good. Their kills had been nearly silent although footsteps told them that someone was coming to investigate. Squall knew that they couldn't wait for the enemy to come to them though; they had to move fast enough to avoid anyone having the time to raise the alarm. Waving for Riku to keep up, Squall began to lead them through the hall, taking down a third guard as he rounded the corner. Riku walked over to check that the man was dead then smirked as he leaned over, pulling a card key out of the guard's front pocket. "Seems like we just got easy access into the offices."

"Good. Let's find a room that looks like it belongs to someone important."

"I think I remember one. Follow me." They both knew that they didn't have very long before they, or one of the three bodies they had already left behind, were noticed. Keeping his gun up, Squall chased after Riku as the man took off farther into the halls. His heart rate shot up every time they went around a new corner but they only ran into one guard, Riku shooting him in the back of the head before he even turned around. Squall's eyes narrowed at the dirty shot but Riku didn't seem too abashed.

As they continued, Squall recognized the path as the one that they took to get closer to that big safe that had been their target during their first robbery attempt. A few more turns around corners and Riku had led them to a promising looking door if the gold nameplate was anything to go by. It said it was the office of the "Vice President" of the Organization and made Squall wonder what position that translated to in their underground activities. Swiping the guard's key card through the lock, Riku opened the door just as they heard another set of footsteps approaching from deeper inside the maze of hallways.

Slipping inside, Squall stayed by the door as Riku walked directly over to the computer, the silver-haired man taking a seat in the high-backed leather chair set up at the desk as he waited for it to power up. "Zex, we made it to a computer."

"—_Did you run into any problems?—_"

"Nope, it's been surprisingly easy so far."

"—_Good. Perhaps that means that I was correct in thinking that their numbers would be momentarily low in the tower itself. But in reference to the computer, Leon, take out the item I gave you that resembles a flash drive and plug it into the computer. From there I should be able to hack into the computer remotely. I will let you know when I am finished but under no circumstances must you pull the drive out before I am finished or else we could lose all the data.—_"

"Gotcha, boss. Leon, toss it to me."

Digging around in his pocket, Squall pulled out the driver and threw it over to Riku after he set his sniper gun down on the desk. The assassin caught it easily, glaring as the computer monitor lit up his face in a pale blue glow, "This thing is password protected."

"—_Easily bypassed. Plug the driver in and let me take care of it._—"

Riku shrugged but plugged it in, his eyes lighting up as the screen went black before lines of text began to stream across the monitor. "Are you doing that Zex?"

"—_Indeed. Give me a moment and, ah, there we are._—" The screen went black again only to be replaced by a rather plain desktop devoid of any icons or any personalization. "—_Now, let us see what they have hidden in the depths of their databases.—_"

Riku raised a brow as windows began to pop open, more programming text beginning to flood the screen as Zexion began to hack through the undoubtedly numerous firewalls and security systems. "You know Zex, you might actually be more useful with your leg broken than when you were healthy."

"—_And your ignorance is surpassed only by your vainglorious bigotry.—_"

"I don't even know what the hell you just said."

"—_Point proven. Invest in a dictionary.—_"

Squall scowled, "Could you two keep quiet! I think someone's coming…" The office door was only open a crack but he could just make out flashlight beams and then the sound of shouts. "They've found our handiwork."

"Figures."

"—_I still need approximately five minutes to finish. Either make sure that they cannot find you or take care of them.—_"

Checking his clip, Squall looked back towards the door. He could hear more voices now, and more footsteps. Their position wasn't blindingly obvious but it wouldn't take the guards long to search all of the rooms and find them. "The second option sounds more realistic."

Riku frowned down at the computer which was still whirring away, "Zexion, do we need to sit here and wait while you do your stuff?"

"—_I suppose not, as long as you can insure that the process will remain uninterrupted._—"

"Alright." Grabbing his gun off of the desk, Riku hopped to his feet, "Time to get this party started then."

Squall watched as the man slid across the desk, his grip tightening on his rifle, "What's the plan?"

Riku paused before a smirk spread across his lips, "This requires a plan?"

The voices were coming closer now. "Humor me. Pretend like you're thinking."

"Fine. When we run into them, you let off a spray to create confusion and I'll take them out with my awe-inspiring, god-like skills to finish the job."

Squall glared back at him but didn't want to argue over a new plan when everything but Riku's adjectives sounded like it had come from an actually thought process. "I can hear them gathering down the hall to the right where we dropped the last guard. On the count of three. One…two…three!"

No longer worrying about silence, Squall kicked the office door open and the two stormed out into the hall. He had been right when he had guessed as to where the guards were assembling but hadn't been expecting the number of them. Squall was able to count six different faces staring back at him before he fell down into a crouch and began to fire into the crowd, Riku standing behind him, having whipped out his new pair of handguns for the short range shootout.

As bullets began to rain down upon them, the guards sprung up from around the bodies of their fallen comrade and reached for their own weapons, Squall's breath catching in his throat as they began to return fire. Luckily, their distraction tactic seemed to be working, his automatic assault rifle creating a maelstrom of chaos within their ranks. It felt so good to have the familiar weapon back in his hands and, between him and Riku, the guards didn't stand a chance.

However, they did have the chance to trigger the alarm. Squall barely noticed as the piercing siren started up, his ears still ringing from the sound of all of the guns discharging, but the lights which flashed on momentarily blinded him. He felt Riku's legs bump into his back and continued to fire towards where he had last seen movement, his concentration shattered as Riku let out a shout, "Shit! Leon, behind you!"

* * *

Cloud looked up from the table covered with evidence from his recent case, his expression haggard as he tried to see something, anything that would tie their case up. He glanced up as Axel walked into the room, a cigarette in between the redhead's lips. "Put that out, Ax, you know you're not supposed to light up in the lab."

The other detective rolled his eyes but, not wanting to get kicked out after all the trouble they had to go through to get into the lab, stubbed out his cigarette butt and tossed it into the trash can. "I double-checked the archives; they don't have anything from any old cases about Riku or Zexion."

"Damn it. And we already checked Twilight Town's archives…"

"Looks like they've just been smart about covering their bases." They were in Dark City, once again having wormed their way into getting access to the evidence from the skyscraper break in. Cloud was surprised that Luxord hadn't shown up yet, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "What about you, any luck in here?"

"No. Absolutely nothing. The DCPD's team already went through all of this with a fine-toothed comb, not too surprising considering half the staff is probably on the Organization's payroll…"

"Then what are we doing here?"

Letting out a breath, Cloud ran his fingers through his hair, only serving to mess it up further. "We're desperately running out our last chance to make this case."

Raising his brows, Axel absently pawed through the different items on the table, "I'm starting to think that we should've taken their advice and chose now to use those vacation days we have stored up. What do you say; you, me, and Roxy can take off for the coast, maybe go down to Port Royale and just gamble and drink until we get you to smile."

"I don't think so."

"You're right. We'd never get back on duty if we had to wait for you to smile."

About to respond, Cloud was cut off as he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Pulling it out of his trench coat, the blonde let out a sigh and flipped the phone open. Thank god for caller ID taking the surprise out of life. "What can I do for you, Detective Downes?"

Luxord's voice was less than amused, "_Cloud, are you or are you not still on the case about the recent break-in at the Tower_?"

That hadn't been the question he was expecting to hear. Cloud's blue eyes narrowed down at the table strewn with evidence bags in front of him, "We might have continued with the investigation..."

"_Well then, it may interest you that I just received notice not a moment ago that the alarm has been triggered again_."

The blonde's gaze flew up to Axel as Cloud scrambled to put the phone on speaker so that his partner could listen in, "What?"

"_The alarm was triggered on floor five. No big surprise there, although I am a bit shocked at the perpetrator's audacity. I was calling to see whether you believed that your suspects, whatever their names were, had the cheek to break into such a building twice in one week_."

Cloud's eyes met Axel's, his heart pounding a little harder. "Yeah, I'd believe it."

"_Well then, you may want to get to the Tower as soon as possible. Although this is completely under our jurisdiction, you may prove useful in identifying their bodies after our men finish with them_."

"The department authorized the use of lethal force already?"

"_Cloud, my good lad, let's not fool ourselves. This is out of the department's hands. They've challenged the Organization for the second time; they won't be allowed to leave that building alive_."

Shoulders falling, Cloud flipped his phone back shut, not bothering to say goodbye. Shit. Those morons had gotten themselves in too far this time. Of course, he couldn't be sure that it was them. It could just be someone trying to take advantage of the situation. Pulling out his notebook, he flipped his phone back open and began to dial as Axel perked up, "Who are you calling now? Weren't we leaving?"

"Yeah, we're going. I just need to check first."

"Check what?"

Cloud held up a finger to silence the redhead as he lifted the phone back to his ear. He listened breathlessly as the phone rang, leaning forward as he finally heard someone pick up. "_Hello_?"

"Sora?"

There was a pause before the teen's voice came back over the line, more hesitant this time, "_Who is this_?"

"It's Detective Cloud Strife, the blonde detective from before."

"_I, I remember. What…How'd you get my cell number_?"

Cloud closed his eyes as he took a breath to calm himself. This completely went against all of his usually protocol. Calling a suspect, or their close associates, was usually strictly off limits because it could ruin an investigation. But in this case he needed answers now. "I have all of your numbers written down in case I need to contact any of you. But that doesn't matter, I need you to tell me where Leon is."

"_I can't tell you_."

"Listen, Sora, this is really important. I know you're trying to protect your brother, but if you don't tell me where Leon is, there's a good chance he's going to get himself killed."

"_What?! No, I, Detective Strife, please, I can't tell you because I don't know where he is! Why, what's happening_?"

"Is there a chance that he, Zexion, and Riku went to Dark City?"

"_I dunno, maybe_!_ All they said was that they were going to take on the Organization_—"

"--Damn it! Axel, get to the car!"

* * *

Heart flying into his throat, still blind from the light, Squall could only spin around, feeling Riku stumble back behind him as he heard the sound of a round being fired. He let out a surprised cry as he felt the bullet literally scrape inches passed his waist, smelling burnt leather as the round flew through his jacket. Just able to make out a large mass rushing for them, he raised his rifle to protect himself, knocked down onto his back as his attacker brought the butt of their gun down like a club. Squall grit his teeth and he blinked, frantically trying to get his vision back as he pushed the force away and rolled back up onto his knees.

He could almost see; it was a guard, he must've snuck up behind them. Blinking again, Squall realized that he was staring down the barrel of a pistol, the guard's finger on the trigger and ready to fire a shot right into his face at point blank. Sucking in a short breath, Squall let his training wash over him and swung his rifle up, slamming it into the bottom of the guard's gun's barrel. The shot went off, missing the top of his head by inches, a shout from Riku somewhere behind him letting him know that the bullet had just barely missed his partner. He had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment though, like the guard readying another shot to aim into his face.

Deciding on a more direct method, Squall launched himself bodily at the guard, tackling him around the waist and sending them both crashing to the ground. He lost track of Riku in the struggle, his sole focus on keeping the tenacious guard under control as both of them fought to regain a grip on their weaponry. Using his rifle was out of the question, as it was currently pressed against the man's collarbone, keeping him pinned to the floor. Squall winced as he received a sharp kick to the side, throwing his body weight down in order to keep the guard pinned while freeing up a hand.

In the distance, he heard more voices sounding over the wail of the alarm and more shots being fired from somewhere behind him, probably coming from Riku, as his fingers searched for the handgun he had brought along. That's right, he had brought a holster, he could feel the gun resting against his hip, he just…needed…to reach it…ha! Fingertips finally brushing against the grip, Squall pulled the rest of it out and, before he could let his emotions catch up with him, raised the handgun up, aimed it at the guard's temple, and fired once. He jerked back as a spatter of blood hit him across the cheek, the man's struggle instantly coming to an end beneath him.

Squall slowly sat up, his breath shuddering just slightly as he wiped the blood off of his face. Instant kill, really the easiest way he could've gone. And he was going to convince himself of it until he forgot the look on the man's face. Glancing around, Squall realized that the sound of gunfire had ceased and that Riku had disappeared completely, leaving him the only living thing remaining in the hallway. Squall pushed himself to his feet, checking each direction but seeing nothing but blood splatter and florescent lights. "Riku?"

Getting no response, Squall tried again, louder this time, "Riku?"

"—_Did you lose track of Riku?—_"

Squall jumped as a voice echoed through his mind. That's right, Zexion could hear him. "I seem to have misplaced him in the scuffle."

"—_It figures. He is the type to wander off. Hopefully he is not sticking his nose into anything too distracting.—_"

Squall got the gist. It would probably be a good idea to find him. "Have you gotten everything you need from the computer?"

"—_Nearly. I am sure that I will finish by the time that you locate Riku. Riku, I know that you are listening by the way, I can tell that your headset is receiving our transmission. Do stop being an ass and tell Leon where you are so that we can finish our business.—_"

Damn it. Of course Riku could hear him over his headset. He should have remembered that. There was a short pause before his smug voice echoed out, "—_Alright, alright. I'm just taking care of some unfinished business. I'm just around the corner, Leon; take a left and then another right.—_"

Squall scowled, "You jackass, I thought you were injured or something."

"—_Aww, Leon cares.—_"

Scowl deepening, Squall stalked out of the hall. Following Riku's directions, he hurried through the corridors, a few more bodies slumped against the wall showing that Riku had encountered more guards while going off on his own. Wait, he recognized this place from when they had first come through. Squall could even see the old bullet holes embedded into the walls. As he rounded the corner he saw Riku crouching down, of course, by the safe. He should have guessed as much. "Riku! What the hell are you doing? Now that the alarm's sounded, it won't be long before the cops get here!"

Riku barely graced him with a glance before turning back to his work, pulling a block of C-4 out of his bag, "Hey, what are you complaining about, I'm getting stuff done."

"We're supposed to set the charges in the center of the building, not at the safe!"

"—_Riku is at the safe? Riku, we do not have time for this. Now, I have downloaded all the information we need to do quite a bit of damage to the Organization, including that bastard Marluxia…_"

Rolling his eyes, Riku pulled out a few more blocks of the explosives, "Relax before you give yourself an aneurism, Zexion. You might think this revenge crap is enough, but since we're here I'm going to make this worth our while. And if you're so worried about time, Leon, go get Zex's computer thing so that we can get out faster."

Squall clenched his teeth, "Do you really have to make this harder?"

"—_It will just slow you down to argue with him. Go get the USB drive or else the whole mission will be a bust.—_"

Heaving a frustrated breath, Squall waited only a second before turning on his heels and running back to the Vice President's office. Making sure to step over the fallen bodies along the way so as not to leave a blood trail in his boot prints, he made it there in record time. From what he could tell, they had disposed of all of the Organization's guards, although he was sure that more were coming along with the police.

He burst inside the open office, banging into the desk as he dove for the computer. "Do I just pull it out or—"

"—_Yes. I have already taken care of everything remotely, all you need to do is to pull the drive out.—_"

"Alright." Still afraid of breaking it but trusting that Zexion wouldn't let him go ahead with it unless he was sure it was going to work, Squall simple tugged the drive out. It seemed alright. Letting out a breath, Squall returned it to his pocket, his relief shattered by a sudden boom, the noise drowning the wailing sirens.

Squall gripped the desk as the floor shook underneath him, his brow furrowing as he pushed himself up to his feet, "Riku…"

"—_Riku, what did you do?—_"

"—_Consider it a test. It was successful, by the way. Leon, come back and give me a hand with this.—_"

"Just start setting up the real charges."

Squall didn't get a response, but he hadn't expected one. He made it back to the safe to find Riku still crouched down, though this time with a slight difference. The door to the safe had been blown out to the other side of the hall, the thick metal warped and the hinges torn clear off by the C-4. There was a fine film of smoke hanging in the air, Squall waving his hand in front of his face to try and get a clean breath. Seeing him approaching, Riku smirked up at him. He had emptied all of the explosives from his bag in order to make room for the money that he was shoveling inside. "So they had a lot of bonds and deeds and shit in here that won't be any good to us, and some of the bills got a little, uh, charred, but I'd say that there's still about six to eight thousand in here. Not a bad haul, huh?"

"Sure, except you're going to get us both killed!"

"Then shut up and grab some cash!"

Squall shook his head. There was no way that they had time for this. But gods, if that money wasn't tempting. After all, he hadn't had any sort of income in a few weeks now, and he had been fairly broke before that. "Come on, Leon, the money's all going to get blown up anyway!"

"Fine! Move over!"

"—_Leon, I expected you to be the voice of reason and keep Riku under control—_"

"Oh shut it, Zex!" Riku tossed his hair back over his shoulder as Squall unzipped his bag and dumped the contents out onto the floor, "Don't pretend like you don't like the idea of us coming out of this with a little cash in our pockets!"

With the two of them working, they were done in less than a minute, especially considering there was no need to clean up the scene. Scooping up his pile of C-4, Squall turned to Riku, "Get moving!"

"Alright, alright! Lead the way, I'm coming."

Squall glanced back to see that the silver-haired man was on his feet with his arms full of explosives. Heading further into the middle of the building, Squall ignored the carnage around them as he decided that they were roughly in the right position. Dropping down to his knees, he began to frantically pile up the C-4 against the wall, Riku quickly joining him.

"I guess it doesn't really matter where we put it, as long as we put a lot of it down, huh?"

Tilting his head, Squall nodded, his panic subsiding slightly at the sheer amount of explosives they were laying down. He wasn't actually sure how much damage they were going to cause, but it was sure to make a point.

"—_I hate to raise tension levels further, but it appears that the Dark City Police Department has made it to the scene. Hm. Four minutes, a rather slow response time for downtown. You can blame Riku's little side venture for the fact that you are still inside. I do hope that the both of you thought out an escape plan.—_"

"Shit. Riku—"

"Don't worry. I know the perfect distraction."


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you to everyone for being patient! What with the holidays and family and such, I didn't get this chapter finished as quickly as I would've liked. But I did get it finished before 2010! Happy New Year, by the way! ^^

Huge thanks must go out to: RealityInABottle, bliss, Nekotsubasa, ChaosGarden, Clockwork Phoenix, chibi heishi, Shinimegami7, Cracked Plastic Crown, Aindel S. Druida, shebajay, AnAntiqueHeart, xHanako, Hi Kitsune, ooXloveXoo582, Dragi, ramen-is-my-goddess, Lucia-luce, Caithdean, MadeInHolland, LoneBoy7, Love-in-the-Stars, nearcreature, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, SUFFERINGLOSTSOUL, , StephanieHatesUtoo, Bane-Dane, DeNiSaY60, SlippingSanity, suberXxXduperXxXfun machine, and a-chan!! You dudes rock, and are my heroes! ^^

O

* * *

Chapter 17

* * *

Glancing back, Squall swore as he saw colored reflections of police lights in the darkened windowpanes down the hall. "You'd better have an escape plan to go along with that distraction."

Riku pursed his lips as he put the last block of C-4 in place before looking up at him with a smirk. There was nothing but confidence in his eyes, save for a gleam of anticipation. "I'm working on it. First thing's first though; let's light this firecracker."

Squall stood up as Riku pulled a charge out of his jacket pocket, the silver-haired man speaking as he began to set it up with practiced ease, "We don't have a timer or any of that fancy shit, so this will be really simple. We're going to have about thirty seconds to clear the area before this thing goes off."

"That means that we'll only have half a minute to get to a different floor. There's no way I'm going to risk staying up here."

"Well then, good thing we're both fast runners, huh?"

Shouldering his half of the loot, Squall let out a small huff. He was never the fastest runner, either in high school or in SeeD, but he was going to have to make due. He just hoped that Riku knew the fastest route out of this labyrinth of corridors. "Let's just get this over with, we're running out of time."

"—_Actually, you are out of time. A group of men just stormed into the building.—_"

"Wow. Way to cheer on the team, Zexion."

Ignoring Riku's sarcastic quip, Squall pressed a hand to his headset to try and hear it better over the sirens as Riku put the final touches on the pile of explosives, "Are they Dark City Police?"

"—_Worse. The DCPD seems to be hanging back. Unless all the men who just entered the building are plainclothes officers, which I highly doubt, they are probably more of the Organization's men. They do not look like they intend to take prisoners._—"

"Fine by me. I say let them come, especially since we're about to go! Charge is set Leon, we have thirty seconds starting…now!"

Squall paled a bit in surprise, having expected more of a warning from Riku, before beginning to run. Following on the other man's heels, He stopped worrying about breathing and focused solely on keeping up. Luckily, Riku did indeed seem to have some idea of where they were going, weaving through the maze of hallways as if he had it memorized. Maybe he did. The only concern Squall had right now was the time he could hear ticking down in his head.

Twenty-two…twenty-one. Every second seemed to pass faster than the last. Keeping pace with Riku was proving to be a challenge, the leaner man was admittedly faster and more agile. Vaulting over the fallen body of a guard who they had brought down only minutes earlier, Squall finally allowed himself to exhale as the door to the stairwell came into view.

Sixteen seconds left. Fifteen…fourteen…thirteen. Heart flying up into his throat, Squall watched as Riku skidded to a halt to open the door, the first signs of nervousness Squall had seen all night settling into the man's features as the door remained stuck. "Damn it, the door's not opening!"

"—_It appears that the DCPD have put the building on lockdown. All the security codes have been overridden and locked up. I can see if I can break through the programming from here, but it will take a minute—_"

"We don't have a minute! We have ten seconds!"

Even though they had put some distance between themselves and the C-4, Squall knew that the damage from the explosion could easily reach where they were standing. They needed out now, and, since the police were already here, there really was no problem with doing things the old-fashioned way. "Stand back, Riku!"

His accomplice moved away from the door and Squall lifted his rifle, aiming not at the keycode device, but at the expensive wood paneling on the door itself. Letting off a few rounds, he weakened the door right around the lock then took a few steps back before ramming it with his shoulder. He grunted at the impact, but was rewarded by the sound of wood cracking. Five seconds left. Jumping back, Squall ran at the door again, using his full weight to slam against it, this time hearing a loud snap as the door broke away from the frame and swung on its hinges.

Squall tumbled through to the ground, managing to regain his footing just as Riku ran by him. Cursing again, he pushed himself up and towards the staircase, his boots pounding against the concrete. But his footsteps weren't the only ones echoing through the stairwell. Riku gripped the banister, "Shit. They're coming up the stairs!"

Two seconds. "Just get down to the fourth floor!"

Perhaps sensing the panic in Squall's voice, Riku only nodded. As he began to take the stairs two at a time, Squall risked a glance over the railing. Men were indeed storming up from the first floor, guns clearly clutched in their hands. His view was suddenly cut off as Riku rushed by, having apparently wanted to speed things up and jumped on the banister. Watching him slide down towards the next floor, Squall only had time to blink before he realized that there time was up.

And it seemed that the charge Riku set was punctual.

Squall had just stepped down onto the landing of the staircase when he felt a tingle on the back of his neck. That was the only warning that he got before the roar of an explosion from behind filled his ears, a wave of hot air and energy slamming into his back. He let out a shout as he was thrown off of his feet and into the stairwell wall, blacking out for a short moment as his head made contact with the concrete. Regaining consciousness before he could even fall to the ground, Squall felt a hand grab his wrist and pull him to the side. "Come on, Leon, snap out of it!"

He stumbled as Riku gave a harsh tug on his arm, Squall's ringing ears able to pick up the sound of cries of alarm echoing up from beneath them. Trying to refocus, he let Riku continue to pull him along, the silver-haired man running straight for the door that gave access to the offices on the fourth floor. This door was not nearly as protected as the one on the fifth floor and Riku was able to break in with a few quick kicks, the wood snapping under the heel of his boot on his third try.

By now, Squall had regained most of his senses and hurried in on his own, the two not even bothering to close the door behind them. It's not like it would have slowed down their pursuers any. Squall's eyes flashed around for anything that they could use to escape as the sound of the explosion's destruction continued from upstairs. He could see smoke coming from near the middle of the building, right underneath where they set up the C-4. The ceiling, or the floor of the fifth story, had probably been blown out. But the rest of the fourth floor looked just like ordinary offices. "What now? I don't think we're going to find anything up here to help us, and I doubt that explosion will keep the Organization away for long."

Turning to Riku, he saw the man searching as well, "We need to get back downstairs."

"The Organization is blocking the stairs."

"—_It also appears that more Organization cronies and a few members of the Dark City Police Department have just entered the lobby. It seems that the explosion has startled them into action. At this point, I believe that it is fair to say that you have gotten yourselves stuck on the fourth floor.—_"

"Great." Scowling, Squall checked his guns. He had some ammo left but there was no way that he was going to be able to take out all of the Organization's extra guys plus the Dark City police.

Riku ran over to the window to check outside, the man apparently not happy with what he saw. Turning back with a tight frown on his face, he growled into the headset, "I don't suppose you have any, I dunno, constructive information?"

"—_Let me see…I have just managed to tap into the DCPD's radio signal. It seems as they are calling for back up troops and the fire station is sending men over to deal with the explosion.—_"

"Thanks, thanks a lot. How about you do something actually useful?"

"—_Do not blame me for the results of your mistakes. If it had been up to me, we would not have deviated from the original plan.—_"

Squall's pulse quickened as, over the din of the chaos upstairs and the blaring alarms, he managed to distinguish the renewed sound of footsteps rushing up the stairs. "We have bigger problems to worry about right now."

Clearly not in a good mood, Riku whipped out his pistols, the flashing police lights outside silhouetting his form as he stood with his back to the window, "They won't be a problem for long."

Walking over to stand next to him, there wasn't much more Squall could do than draw his own weapons. He was almost out of ammunition in his rifle so he was going to have to go with his handgun as well. That didn't exactly help to soothe his anxiety any. "And what're we going to do after this?"

"How the hell should I know?!" Squall sensed Riku tense up to his left as they heard the Organization beginning to climb up the last flight of stairs to get up to the fourth floor. Their pace had slowed, probably both due to the sight of the damage to the floor above them and to the fact that they knew their suspects were nearby.

And Riku was ready for them. As soon as the top of the first man's head came into view, he lined up a shot, Riku's finger tightening on the trigger. There was a loud bang and the Organization member had a bullet in his forehead before his eyes had even appeared above the steps.

The kill was a good shot but it triggered a very negative response. Seeing their comrade fall, the other Organization members rushed up the rest of the stairs and began to open fire. It was clear that they couldn't see exactly where their target was, the room still nearly pitch black, but they solved that problem by covering the entire room in a shower of bullets. Swearing, Squall dove behind a desk, Riku following after him while returning fire. In a quick movement Squall kicked the desk over to form a more functional barricade, crouching down behind the thick wood as another volley of ammunition was fired at them.

Peeking over just enough to aim his gun, Squall fired off a few rounds, ducking down after seeing two of the men fall to the ground. "We aren't going to last long like this!"

Riku's scowl deepened, taking a moment to take out a few more men before responding, "I know that!"

"We need to find a way out, before the cops come up!"

"I know!" Riku snapped back. Seeing the man so tense only made Squall realize just how dire their situation really was. Looking around though, it was hard to mistake the gravity of the situation. With the Organization's men blocking the doorway and slowly pushing their way into the room, there was no way to get to the stairwell. There was no way that the elevator was going to be working; the police undoubtedly shut it down first thing. Every second it seemed like more and more men were flooding in towards the door. He and Riku were both skilled gunman, nearly every single bullet a fatal wound, but even as the bodies piled up, two more men seemed to replace them. It seemed like it was never going to end. And as far as he knew, there was no other way out of the building.

As he ducked back down behind the desk, Riku's sharp teal eyes desperately scanned the room. "Alright, let me think! Let me think. There has to be another way out of this damn building!"

Squall heaved a breath as he changed the clip in his gun. If only. Suddenly Riku straightened up, a new gleam in his eye. "I might've come up with something. Cover me."

"Cover you? Wait, don't just--!" It was way too late to stop Riku though. The silver-haired man had jumped up from their hiding spot and it was all Squall could do to distract the Organization while Riku made himself an open target. Gritting his teeth, Squall kept his finger down on the trigger, round after round flying towards the door as Riku darted back farther into the office building.

Pretty soon Squall lost visual contact of his accomplice, his attention understandably diverted elsewhere. Now that he was by himself, he was getting the full brunt of the Organization's attack. In a few breaths, he was unable to poke so much as a hair above the top of the desk without having fifteen bullets shot at him.

He was just about to suspect that Riku had abandoned him when his headset crackled to life over the sounds of the melee, "—_Hey, Leon, you still alive?—_"

"Riku? Where the hell are you?"

"—_Finding our way out.—_"

Squall tried to quell the hope rising in his chest. "And how do you figure we'll do that?"

"—_Come to the rear side of the building. Hey Zex, there's no police at the back of the tower, are there?—_"

There was a pause before Zexion's voice came on, "—_I see five police officers watching the back of the building. It seems the DCPD is covering all of their bases._—"

"—_Oh well, we'll figure that one out later. Anyway, get your ass over here Leon. We've overstayed our welcome.—_"

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Squall snarled into the microphone. To say that he was unhappy with the situation would be an understatement. Riku wanted him to cross over to the opposite side of the fourth floor. Sure, the hitman may have been able to do it, but that was probably because Squall had kept the Organizations' eyes off of him while he was running. There was no one left to provide the same sort of cover for the SeeD. And the bullets were continuing relentlessly; if he made any visible movement away from the desk he had no doubt that he would be filled full of lead in seconds. "Shit…"

"—_Having trouble?—_"

"Shut the hell up Riku, they've got me pinned down!"

"—_Perhaps I may be of some assistance.—_"

"—_Oh yeah? What are you going to do, Zex? Send them angry text messages on their cell phones?—_"

"—_Hilarious. No, to the contrary, I offer a suggestion. From my position I call tell that the damage from the explosive was extensive, to say the least. The floor of the fifth story has undoubtedly weakened by the incident. Specifically of interest, I can see that a small fire has broken out near the stairwell on the floor above you. If you were to weaken the ceiling of the fourth floor further with a few well placed bullets, you may be able to come up with the necessary disturbance.—_"

Blinking, Squall looked up, just able to make out the ceiling panels that Zexion had mentioned. The man was right; he could tell that the panels were weakening even from where he was sitting. Zexion's plan was a good one, but he still had a problem, "There's no way I'd be able to take the shot without getting shot up myself."

He frowned as he heard Riku heave a long sigh, "—_Alright, fine, I'll give you a hand. Hold on.—_"

Cursing as a bullet hit the edge of the desk he was crouching behind, sending a piece of wooden shrapnel flying, Squall shook his head. "I'm holding on as well as I can! Hurry up!"

Riku must have still been feeling a little anxious about their escape because instead of sending back a snarky reply, Squall was answered a few moments later with the sharp, distinctive discharge of Riku's sniper rifle. Squall knew that the round must have found its target as a dull creaking filled the room, a few of the Organization members turning their eyes upward at the noise before the panels above their heads suddenly gave way. There was a series of screams as broken debris and burning embers suddenly rained down on them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Squall rolled out from behind the desk. He only came under the fire from a few of their guns as he moved, keeping low and doing less running than crawling. Finally, he spotted a flash of silver hair, releasing a breath as he found that he had arrived at the rear of the building without dying. "Riku! You'd better have a damn good idea for all the trouble you just put me through!"

Riku glanced over his shoulder, "I helped you out, didn't I?"

"Only after you left me to fend for myself!" Checking back behind him, Squall closed his eyes. Although the Organization flunkies had been momentarily caught off guard, they were now regaining control of themselves and Squall could hear them fanning out to search the darkened space. "Whatever, we don't have time for this. How are we getting out of here?"

His question brought a smirk to Riku's face. The man now seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that the Organization was closing in on them, his typical cockiness having returned in droves. Tapping the window pane with the muzzle of his handgun, his grin widened, "How do you feel about dumpster diving?"

"What?"

Something caught Riku's eyes over Squall's shoulder, "Looks like our hosts have figured out where we went off to so there's not really time to explain. Just follow my lead, alright?"

"Wait, I still don't--! Riku!" Squall scowled as Riku flat out ignored him. Jumping back as he saw Riku raise his gun, he had just enough time to shield his eyes before Riku let off a round straight into the floor to ceiling window. There was a huge crash, instantly attracting the attention of the Organization as the glass shattered, translucent shards falling around them like hailstones. Squall winced as he felt their sharp edges grazing his skin, making sure to keep his face covered until the last piece hit the ground. He already had one scar too many on his face.

He heard Riku chuckle a bit as they both heard footsteps racing towards them, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"And go where exactly? Hey!" Squall stumbled as Riku grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the broken window. Before he could even wrap his mind about what exactly Riku was planning, Riku gave his arm one more sharp tug and jumped. Squall's heart felt like it stopped beating as he tumbled out after Riku. They were on the fourth floor after all, and the concrete pavement below was unforgiving. Then he caught a glimpse of the ground beneath them and realized that Riku's target was actually the dumpster pressed up against the back wall.

Dumpster diving. Riku, that bastard!

He had just enough time to try and get his body into a better position before he and Riku landed roughly in the dumpster. Luckily, because the dumpster was for the skyscraper, it was filled mostly with recyclables like packaging material and paper. Unluckily, paper and Styrofoam still felt a lot like much harder substances after a four story drop; more like hardwood, or stone, or sheets of metal.

Moaning, Squall pushed the bag of money he had carried down with him off of his head and sat up. He knew this wasn't over with. Zexion said that there were cops on this side of the building and they had to have noticed him and Riku freefalling from the window. If they radioed in about it now, he and Riku would never be able to make it to the van before being caught. Feeling Riku moving beside him, he knew that he had to pull himself together. Pushing himself up with a grunt, Squall pulled his handgun out from its holster, heaved himself up onto the rim of the dumpster, and immediately began to shoot at the figures standing in the shadow of the tower.

He heard Riku clamoring up onto the side beside him, Squall took out a second, than a third police officer, Riku taking out the remaining two. Those deaths weighed more on his conscience than any other, the police officers were just doing their job. But if he wanted to escape without risking being identified later, it had to be done. His only consolation was that they were probably working for the Organization anyway. It was the first time in his life that he ever hoped that a cop was dirty.

Once the last man fell, Riku and Squall wasted no time in getting themselves out of the dumpster. Flipping one leg out and then the other, Squall let himself fall to the ground, Riku following shortly after. Not waiting around for the rest of the DCPD to come check on their men, the two sprinted towards the alleyway where they knew Zexion and the van was waiting for them.

When it came into view, Squall could tell just how much faith the other man had in them. He was already in the driver's seat, the engine running and ready to take off at the slightest sign of mission failure. Leaping into the back of the van, Squall didn't even mind as he tripped over the empty C-4 box and tumbled to the ground. Riku seemed equally desperate to get inside, the hitman barely getting his feet in before he whipped around and slammed the back door of the van shut. "Gun it, Zex! We're in!"

"—_It took you long enough. Hang on to something.—_" Squall didn't even bother, letting himself slide back and slam into Riku as Zexion stepped on the gas. "—_I will have to go around the block to avoid the suspicious eyes of the police department, but no matter. Good job, by the way. I was not particularly expecting you to succeed after all of that nonsense.—_"

Leaning back against van doors, Riku ignored Squall sliding into him, having just enough energy for sarcasm, "Thanks…Just get us home." Riku glanced down at the duffle bag clutched in his hands, a grin slipping across his face, a bit of the money peeking out from the inside. "I love my job…"

* * *

Pulling his rental car up to the front of the tower, Cloud jumped out, Axel hot on his heels. One glance around the area pretty much told him all he needed to know. There were no less than a dozen DCPD squad cars surrounding the front of the skyscraper, police officer squatting behind their open car doors with their guns drawn as if waiting for an ambush. Nearly every single pair of eyes was on the tower, the world lit up by their vehicles' flashing lights. Following their gaze, Cloud looked up to the fifth floor of the building, the row of windows shining brightly in the darkness. Even from where he was standing he could hear the alarms going off inside.

"Looks like they got themselves into quite the fix this time, huh?"

Glancing over at Axel, Cloud let out an annoyed sigh, "Yeah. We'd better find out what the situation is."

The redhead glanced up at the tower, a mirthless grin on his face, "I think the situation is pretty clear. They're up on the fifth floor. I don't know what the hell they're doing, but I don't think that they're gonna to come out."

"Why's that?"

Axel didn't reply verbally, just pointed instead, and Cloud's gaze zeroed in on a large group which appeared to be SWAT team, or some other kind of elite tactical unit. They were dressed mostly in black, wearing Kevlar vests, and were toting a variety of weapon types. Long story short, they looked like they meant business. "That was quick. Usually it takes SWAT a few minutes to arrive at a location."

"That's not SWAT, Cloud."

The blonde detective took another look at them, eyes narrowing as half of the group began to enter the building, "Then who the hell are they, and why are they going in without proper authorization?"

Leaning back against their car, Axel crossed his arms, his green eyes sharp as he watched the scene unfold before him, "Think about it for a minute, will you? Who do you think they are?"

It took Cloud less than a second to realize what his partner meant, "They're working for the Organization?"

"Huh, looks like you're not completely oblivious after all."

Cloud ignored Axel's jab, currently much too enraged over the situation. "What the hell do they think they're doing?

"I'm gonna say that they're probably thinking that they're going to kill our perps. Can't say they don't deserve it after that little disappearing act of theirs."

Rounding on the redhead, Cloud gave the man a fierce scowl, "For the last time, it's not about whether they deserve it or not! It's about the principles of the matter! Leon, and Zexion and Riku, need to be arrested and taken to trial, not, not executed in cold blood! That's what separates us from them! Now get your ass off that car and help me find out who's in charge here, or so help me, I'll report you for conspiracy!"

There was a pause as the tension seemed to build between them, Axel's green eyes staring straight back into Cloud's blue. Finally, Axel looked back up towards the tower with a shrug, "Fine." Pushing himself off of the car, he brushed off his coat, "We'll do it your way for now. But someday you're going to figure out that there are things that are bigger than your 'principles'."

Cloud narrowed his eyes again, trying to read Axel's expression. He could tell that his partner was putting up a wall and didn't like it. Leon's words about an informant in the Twilight Town Police Department kept bouncing around his head and he had a sickening feeling that Axel was involved. Every single space in his heart hoped that it wasn't true, but every single part of his brain told him that Axel was becoming more and more suspicious. The instincts he had developed as a detective were working against him.

Trying to move on, Cloud looked around and put his hands into his trench coat pockets, "Let's figure out who's running this show…"

Axel nodded, following after Cloud as the blonde headed further into the crowd of police officers. Glancing from face to face, he tried to pinpoint someone who looked like they were calling the shots. Finally, he caught sight of a familiar face, although it didn't improve his mood any. "Detective Downes!"

Luxord looked around at the sound of his name being called. He was one of the few lawmen not ducked down behind any sort of shield, the Dark City detective calmly leaning against a police cruiser as a smoked a cigarette. Blowing out a bit of smoke, Luxord smiled dryly, "Ah, Detective Strife, Detective Flynn. You made good time."

Axel nodded, eyeing the cigarette curiously, "Well thanks for the call. I didn't know you smoked."

"I occasionally find the need."

"Well pass me one, will you?"

As Luxord passed Axel a cigarette, Cloud frowned up at the other blonde. "Feeling a bit stressed out lately?"

Luxord rolled his eyes and turned his attention back up towards the tower, "You don't know that half of it."

"Let me make your day a little better then. I want to know who authorized those gang members to go into the building!"

Raising a brow, Luxord let out a long, smoke filled breath, "Do you? I hope you don't take too hard to disappointment then."

Cloud's jaw tightened. Luxord was acting like this was a game! Grabbing the lapel of the man's jacket, Cloud shoved him back up against the car, his voice a dangerous growl, "Listen, you cocky bastard, you better send your men in to legally take control of the situation! My suspects are in there and you can bet that if any of them end up so much as grazed by an Organization bullet, we're going to have a really big problem."

Luxord only looked slightly amused as he smoothly reached up and pried Cloud's hands off of his suit. "Now, now, lad, no need for violence. I—"

He was cut off as an ear-shattering boom suddenly split the air, Cloud whipping around to see the fifth floor explode, all of the windows simultaneously blowing out in a burst of flame and pulverized debris. Cloud could hear car alarms going off from the sound wave that had been generated, his thoughts going blank. Beside him, he saw Axel's mouth drop open, the redhead's newly lit cigarette falling to the sidewalk.

Even Luxord looked shocked, the man's eyes wide as he stared up at the smoldering building before snapping into action. Jumping into the front seat of his police car, Luxord grabbed his radio and called into Dark City dispatch, "This is Detective Downes. I need the fire department here _now_." Looking back at Cloud and Axel, Luxord was about to say something when the sound of gunfire erupted from the skyscraper.

Swearing, Cloud and Axel dove behind Luxord's car door, not knowing who was being shot at. Cloud felt Axel wrap an arm around him as both of them reached for their handguns, the lanky man almost protecting him as they tried to figure out where the bullets were going. Pulling a pistol out of his glove compartment, Luxord leaned out over them as the gun shots continued, "I believe those shots are coming from above. Sounds like your boys ran into the Organization's team. And there go the rest of them." Cloud wrestled his head off of Axel shoulder in time to spot the rest of the Organization's tactical team run into the building.

"Shit! Come on, Ax!" Scrambling to his feet, Cloud kept his handgun out and ran towards the entrance.

Axel pushed himself up and traded an exasperated look with Luxord, "Aren't you going to try and stop him?"

Luxord shrugged, "If Cloud wants to get himself in trouble, I'm not one to take that from him. If you want to save his life, I suggest that you bring him back."

Letting out a sigh, Axel nodded and chased after his partner. Reaching Cloud as the blonde detective made it to the front doors to the tower, Axel made sure his gun was fully loaded, "What exactly are you planning for us to do?"

Cloud paused as he watched the second group of Organization lackeys' heels disappear up the building's staircase. He could still hear gunfire echoing out from above them. At least that meant that Leon and the others were still alive and fighting back. "I don't know. I don't have a plan."

Leaning his head back against the glass doors, Axel looked up, "You realize that you're risking getting shot at for a guy that you want to put in prison for life, right?" The blonde flat out ignored Axel and instead pushed the doors open, both men keeping their guns out as they ran for the stairs. "Seriously, think about it for a minute!"

Finally, Cloud snapped back as he bounded up the first few steps, "I have thought about it! I can't _stop_ thinking about it! Go back if you're worried about it!"

Axel frowned as he began to follow the man up, "It's you I'm worried about! This isn't like you Cloud! Are you so, so in love with this guy that you can't think straight?"

"I'm not in love with Leon, dammit—!"

"—Hey!" Cloud was interrupted as they were spotted by one of the Organization members farther up the stairwell near the second story. "There's more of 'em down there!"

Cloud's eyes widened as he saw the man turn his gun on them, "Wait, Twilight Town PD!" Holding up his own handgun, Cloud narrowed his eyes, "Drop your weapon and put your hands up!"

"I don't think that's going to work, you idiot!"

As the Organization member pulled the trigger, Axel grabbed a hold of Cloud and pulled them back against the wall. Cloud shook him off, the blonde fuming, "Hey! You're under arrest for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer! Drop your weapon now!"

He was answered with three more bullets, each one closer to its mark. Jumping back as the last one nearly hit his boot, Cloud looked up before firing off a few rounds back, he and the Organization member entering into a kind of duel. Their antics attracted the attention of more Organization cronies, Axel running up beside Cloud to help.

Cloud braced himself as he aimed his gun up, feeling completely exposed as the Organization fired down at him from the third floor. Heart pounding in his chest, Cloud aimed for the non-vitals: the legs, the hands, the arms, anything that would make them drop their guns. A mortal shot would get the job done as well but as a police officer it could be a career killer, especially since he was technically out of his jurisdiction and the media was undoubtedly on their way. Nevertheless, he was prepared to do what he had to do to get out alive, including taking out a few gangbangers.

However, he quickly realized that they were becoming overwhelmed. Beginning to shoot to kill, Cloud took a step back as he reached onto his belt for another clip as Axel continued to unload round after round at them. No matter how many guys he took out, another seemed to replace him.

As he reloaded his gun, Cloud couldn't help but notice that Axel didn't really seem to be landing any hits himself. That was strange, since Axel was just as good a shot as he was at the gun range. In fact, it looked like the redhead was purposefully aiming high and missing on purpose. Brows furrowing, Cloud was about to ask about it when a sharp pain suddenly pierced through his arm. Letting out a cry of pain, Cloud grit his teeth as he watched blood blossom up through his trench coat, "Ah, Ax…!"

The redhead's eyes widened at the sight of the red stain, "Shit! Cloud!" Grabbing a hold of the blonde, Axel pulled him back under the stairwell.

Cloud sucked in a breath of air as Axel examined the wound. The good news was that the bullet had missed bone, passing straight through the softer tissues of his bicep. The bad news was that he had been shot in the arm he used to grip his gun and right now his hand was shaking so bad, his fingers so weak, that his handgun clattered to the ground. "We, we should get out!"

Axel winced as a bullet flew dangerously close to the place where they were taking cover. "Hell yes we should! You're spurting blood like a fountain! But we're not going anywhere until they stop firing at us! Dammit, I told you that this was a stupid idea."

"Sh-shut up!" Biting his lip, Cloud dug around his jacket with his good hand until he found his handkerchief. He quickly pulled it out and wrapped it around his arm, "Ugh, tie this for me!"

Axel quickly did as he was told, pulling the handkerchief tight to put pressure on the wounds before he deftly tied the fabric into a knot to keep it in place. "We need to get you to an ambulance." He reached out and picked Cloud's gun up off of the floor, slipping it back into his partner's holster. "But, unless something changes, I don't think that that's gonna happen anytime soo—"

They both started as there was a sudden crash from further up the stairwell, above the group of Organization members they were fighting with. A cloud of smoke billowed out from what looked like the fourth floor, and for a second Cloud thought it might have been another explosion until he realized that it sounded more like part of the building had caved in. Whatever it was, it was the chance that he and Axel needed, the Organization members above them completely distracted.

Scrambling up onto their feet, the two detectives ran out from underneath their cover and down the few stairs they had manage to climb toward the lobby. Cloud was equally annoyed and grateful as he felt Axel wrap an arm around his shoulder to steady him as they sprinted towards the exit. The shock from being wounded coupled with the blood loss was making him a little dizzy, as much as he hated to admit it, and Axel's support kept him from tripping over his own feet.

As soon as they burst through the double glass doors, Axel started calling for medical assistance, his voice tense, "Officer down! Get a doctor over here now!"

Cloud blinked up as Luxord suddenly appeared by their side, the detective looking calm but with a small spark of worry in his eyes, "Follow me, the ambulance is right over here. What happened then? Run into your boys?"

Frowning, Cloud let out a small grunt as he spotted the ambulance, medics hurrying towards him as he drew closer, "No, we ran into your boys. I couldn't even get up the stairs without being shot down!"

As an EMT urged Cloud to sit down into the back of the ambulance, Luxord gave a tight smile, "Ah, so they were in the 'shoot first, ask questions later' frame of mind then."

Axel scowled darkly, "I don't know what the hell they were doing, shooting at the police like that. The morons didn't even listen when we said we were police."

"Well they were probably under the impression that anyone in the building was going to be working for the intruders. After all, the DCPD did have orders to remain out of the tower until they could 'clear' it. They probably thought no lawmen would be daft enough to go inside and that you were simply trying to create a cover story. Can't blame them really."

Cloud snorted then winced as the EMT began to treat his wound, "Watch me. Those guys had better have a good lawyer because I'm going to arrest all of them for attempted homicide and assault on an officer with a deadly weapon."

Luxord raised a brow, casually inspecting the wound as the medic worked on it, "You might as well not bother. No prosecutor will take the case in this town, and even if they do, no judge is going to convict them."

"This is ridiculous! I'm taking this up with my supervisor!"

At Cloud's exclamation, Luxord only blinked, "Oh yes, where is Dilan by the way? I called him right before I called you and figured he'd want to be here for this."

Axel sent the man a glare, Cloud's eyes sharpening at the redhead's expression, "Head Detective Fisher's probably on his way. It takes two hours to get here from Twilight Town after all."

"That's right. I suppose I forgot about that detail with the two of you showing up so quickly. What were you doing in this neighborhood anyway?"

"Working." Cloud snapped back, "Trying to dig through the evidence to convict our suspects. Which reminds me; if Leon doesn't make it out of there alive, and our whole case breaks down, I'm putting the whole DCPD in prison."

"Doubtful, lad. Though it is refreshing to see the concern you hold for your suspect. Now, I would love to stay and chat, but I should go make sure all of my officers are doing alright. Take care of yourself, Detective Strife; it is regrettable that you had to be injured in the course of all of this."

With that, Luxord turned and walked away, Cloud and Axel glaring at his retreating back. After a moment, Cloud turned his gaze back up to the tower, his mind reeling. He and Axel couldn't even make it up to the second floor, and Leon, Riku, and Zexion were stuck up near the fifth floor? All that gunfire he had heard told him that they were putting up a good fight, but those Organization guys were tough. He knew that first hand. And that was assuming that they had managed to escape that explosion. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how bad the situation really was for them. "Hey Ax…Do you think that they could've figured a way out?"

Axel blinked in surprised then looked over at the blonde, his face softening in understanding, "I don't know. I mean, it looks pretty hopeless, doesn't it?" Cloud gave a stiff nod. "But, on the other hand, those three are pretty much the toughest guys I've ever known, so if anyone could find a way out of this, it'd be them."

They both knew at this point that Axel was just trying to lift Cloud's spirits. That's not to say that Cloud didn't appreciate it but he always hated hollow promises. He was about to reply when he suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket. Jumping a little, Cloud fished his cell phone out of his trench coat with his left hand, his right arm currently still being treated by the EMT. Flipping it open, Cloud's blue eyes widened. He had gotten a text. From Leon.

"What is it?"

Cloud shook his head at Axel's question, clumsily pressing the buttons to open the message, "Text message."

"Oh yeah? From who? You looked like you just about wet yourself from excitement there."

Cloud shook his head again, his eyes quickly skimming over the words. If Leon had the time to write out a text, then maybe, maybe he was alright. _Are you okay?_

Ignoring Axel's continued questions, Cloud slowly typed out a reply, his pace slowed by only being able to use his left hand. _Fine. Where are you?_

He only had to wait about a minute before his phone vibrated again. _Out. Saw you in the ambulance as we left, had to check._

That bastard! He was out of the building? Whipping his head around to check around them, Cloud didn't see anything that looked like Leon or a getaway vehicle; where did they get off to? How did they get out? Looking up at the tower, Cloud pursed his lips as he angrily typed a response.

_What the hell happened?_

Cloud held his breath as he waited for an answer, his eyes flashing back down to the screen the moment he felt a vibration.

_Mission Success._


	18. Chapter 18

Hey dudes! New chapter's up! Whoo! ^^; As always, huge thanks need to go out to those who reviewed: chibi heishi, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, xHanako, RealityInABottle, a-chan, Clockwork Phoenix, ooXloveXoo582, nearcreature, dumdam, Arid Tundra, Lucia-luce, Nekotsubasa, Caithdean, TMX Archives, Cracked Plastic Crown, Love-in-the-Stars, Bane-Dane, Jellicle-Wishes, SUFFERINGLOSTSOUL, ChaosGarden, Dragi, Maiden Masquerade, Shinimegami7, Trempush, ramen-is-my-goddess, Aindel S. Druida, shebajay, MadeInHolland, Little Wolf Vamp Hearts Yaoi, JigokuYume, LoneBoy7, CloudedMirror, and StephanieHatesUtoo!! You guys are awesome!!

Also, haha, for all you dudes in the NorCal region, I just wanted to let you know that my sister and I are officially attending SacAnime Jan. 8-10. We'll be the twins, easy to spot...especially when we're cosplaying as another certain pair of twins...red-headed ones that is... Oh my god, when did I start wanting to publically embarrass myself…? Anyway, onto the story…

O

* * *

Chapter 18

* * *

Cloud could barely keep himself awake in the car as Axel silently drove them back to Twilight Town, each detective much too occupied with their own thoughts to bother with conversation. After he had learned that Leon and the rest of them had made it out alive, Cloud had allowed the ambulance to take him to the hospital in Dark City, Axel coming along for the ride. He had kept the contents of the text hidden from Axel, his confidence in his partner shaky as he slipped his cell phone back into his pocket. The visit to the hospital itself was a short one, the on-site EMT having done most of the work for the doctors, but they stitched him up, wrapped his arm in a bandage, given him a few pills, and sent him on his way.

By that time, Axel had gotten another call from Luxord telling them what Cloud already knew. Their suspects had miraculously escaped both capture and death and disappeared into the night. Apparently they had leapt from a window on the fourth floor and landed in a dumpster. Whatever it was, Cloud couldn't figure out whether he was relieved or depressed because of it. It would have been…annoying if they had been shot but on the other hand, if they had been captured and taken into custody, this whole thing would be over right now. Perhaps it was a strange mixture of the feelings and that, coupled with the pain and lightheadedness from his wound, was making him slightly nauseous and completely drained.

They pulled up to the Twilight Town police station near 11 p.m., Cloud nearly too tired to push his door open and walk up the steps into the building. Axel dogged his heels, but the blonde ignored him and just continued to stumble up towards the main doors. The last thing he wanted to do right now was face the redhead. He didn't want to think about what he would see on the other man's face. Pity, smugness, guilt, or worst of all that closed off expression that he was beginning to hate most of all; Cloud didn't want to deal with any of it.

The station was relatively quiet, the majority of the staff having long since made their way home. Cloud wasn't terrible surprised though to see that one day shift employee remaining.

Roxas lifted his head from his desk as the two walked in, his whole face brightened for only a short moment before it fell into a glower, "What the heck took you guys so long?"

Cloud let out a deep sigh. "Didn't hear about it over here yet, huh?"

"Hear about what?"

The two detectives trudged into their office, Axel waving for Roxas to follow them. Practically collapsing onto his own desk, Cloud didn't bother looking up as Axel closed the door so the three of them could have a little privacy. "So, what happened?"

Seeing that the older blonde wasn't about to answer, Axel crossed his arms over his chest, "Our guys made their move."

"Really?! What happened?"

"They went back to the Tower, to do who the hell knows what. There were explosives involved, but it's hard to tell if that was part of their plan or not. The Organization had them cornered and a pretty good gunfight got started…it was like a fireworks show. Apparently they jumped out of a window before the Organization could get a good handle on them. That's a pretty good summary of our evening. Oh yeah, and your brother was a moron, ran into the building, and got himself shot."

"You _what_?! Cloud!" Running around to the other side of the desk, Roxas began tugging at Cloud's clothing as if looking for bullet holes, "Where'd you get hit?"

"Okay, okay, ow! Knock it off, Roxas!" Frowning as Cloud tugged his sore arm out of Roxas's frantic grip, Cloud carefully peeled off his overcoat, revealing the bloodstained clothes beneath, a bandage peeking out through a hole torn open by the bullet. "It's nothing too serious."

Roxas's eyes widened at the sight of the blood, "Holy crap! Cloud, what the hell did you do?"

"I was trying to make sure no one died! I wasn't getting a lot of help either. The Organization has the entire Dark City Police Department eating out of their palm…"

Whipping his head around, Roxas turned to glare at Axel, "Why didn't you stop him?"

"Hey, don't give me that look! You know how he gets; he wouldn't listen to a word I said! For the record, not only did I tell him it was a stupid idea from the start, but I pretty much saved his life. I'm sure the gratitude will come eventually."

Frowning but somewhat placated, Roxas turned back to Cloud. Cloud glanced up and, seeing the worry in his brother's blue eyes, wondered how bad he much actually look to be garnering that sort of reaction from his usually cynical sibling. "W-well, it sounds like you had a full enough day. I'd say that you deserve a break."

Cloud rested his chin on his hand to keep his head from falling to the desk, "Unfortunately it doesn't work like that…After this little show, the public attention is going to be all over this case and there's going to be even more pressure than ever to get this thing solved."

"Cloud, you got shot. I think that that means you can take a day off."

Nodding, Axel walked over to stand behind Roxas, "Besides, and I'm just guessing here, but I don't think very many people besides us and Luxord know who did this. I mean, even we don't have any proof that they were even the ones in the building and that explosion was probably enough to cover any tracks they might have left this time."

Cloud remained silent for a minute to think that over. He hadn't even really considered the fact that no one else would have any reason to suspect Leon, Riku, or Zexion had anything to do with this. Unless they were involved with the Organization, it probably looked more like some sort of terrorist attack on a random skyscraper than anything else. He had known that it was them from the start because his gut feeling told him so, and his phone call to Sora and that text from Leon only confirmed it in his mind. But it's not like those were really pieces of evidence he could use in a courtroom. "…But if they left anything behind or someone saw them…"

Axel shook his head, "Like I said, that explosion probably obliterated any sort of worth while evidence. And when Luxord called about the perps escaping, he said that anyone who would've been close enough to identify who did it was dead. You and I know what's up, but the M.O. is totally different from anything they've done up until now. It'd be a ridiculous jump for the media to say that it was done by the same guys we're after."

"So it's decided then!" Slapping his hands down onto the top of Cloud's desk, Roxas leaned forward, "You're taking tomorrow off, Cloud! Call it a mental health day if nothing else. You look like you could use about twenty hours of sleep. In fact," the shorter blonde looked up at the clock on the wall, "It's almost eleven thirty. You should've been asleep about two hours ago."

Sighing, Cloud ran his hand over his face, "Alright, I get it. I'll call in sick tomorrow or something. Let me just pull some of my stuff together and—"

Roxas shook his head and lunged forward, catching his older brother's hands before they could open his file cabinet, "No! I said you're taking a day off, and I mean a day off! No work, just you, your bed, and your T.V.!"

Cloud narrowed his eyes and tried to pull his hands free, but he just couldn't quite find the energy to do so. He hadn't taken a real vacation, even so much as a day, in years. It just felt…wrong. Especially with everything going on. "What are you, my mother?"

"No, but I'll call her if it'll make you relax for a day!"

Letting out another sigh, Cloud closed his eyes to try and fight off a building headache. "Mom definitely doesn't need to know about what happened tonight."

Roxas grinned and relaxed his hold, sensing that he had won the battle, "That's what I figured. Now, I guess one of us should give you a ride home, huh?"

"I can drive—"

"—Yeah, I don't think so." It was Axel who had spoken up this time, a small smirk on the other man's face, "You were about ready to pass out on the way over here, and you could barely walk up those stairs straight."

Face falling into a thoughtful frown, Roxas fell silent for a moment before nodding, "How 'bout this? I'll take you home, then pick you up for work the day after tomorrow? That way, you won't have to drive now and I can make sure that you don't have a car so you can't go anywhere, like back to work, during your vacation."

"It sounds like I'm going to be held hostage at my own house."

Roxas shrugged, "Pretty much. Whatever it takes."

"…You're set on this, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"…Fine." Pushing himself up and out of his chair, Cloud held the desk to steady himself as he wobbled a bit, "But you're going to have to work your ass off to cover me while I'm not here tomorrow."

Roxas scoffed and opened the door to their office, "I know that. Now come on, let's get you home before you fall over."

Cloud grudgingly followed as his brother led him out of the station, Axel taking a few minutes to lock up behind them. The role reversal was weird, to be looked after; Cloud was pretty sure he didn't like it. Nevertheless he didn't complain as Roxas jumped into the driver's seat, Cloud tucking himself into the passenger's side and allowing his younger brother to drive him back to his apartment. It didn't take long to get there, although Cloud may or may not have drifted off to sleep during the ride, he wasn't sure. The next thing he was really aware of was Roxas pulling up to his apartment complex, the smaller blonde shaking his shoulder to wake him.

"Hey, Cloud. We're here."

"Mn…'kay."

Roxas frowned as he watched Cloud fumble around with his seatbelt and then the door handle, "Do you need me to walk you up?"

Snorting, Cloud pulled himself up with his good arm, careful not to put too much pressure on his right, "Please, I'm not that messed up."

"Hey, I'm just trying to be nice! Don't need to bite my head off…"

Taking a breath, Cloud paused. "Sorry…my mood's not the best right now."

At the apology, the younger's eyes lost some of their edge, "Yeah, no kidding. I'll give you a call if anything particularly amazing happens at the office, alright?"

Cloud gave him a small wave to show that he had heard as he walked up to his apartment. Much to his chagrin, Roxas didn't leave until he got to the door, pulled his keys out, and unlocked it. Really, it wasn't like he was five years old. He just couldn't see straight. No big deal.

Stepping into his house, he locked the front door behind him then continued straight on to his bedroom. While he still wasn't sold on the idea that he needed to take a whole day off, he would readily admit to needing a good night's sleep. And right now, his bed looked like heaven.

Not even bothering to take off his shoes, Cloud flopped down onto the rickety twin-sized bed. He was out like a light the moment his head touched his pillow.

OoOoOo

Several hours, fourteen to be exact, passed by before Cloud's blue eyes flickered back open. Scrunching up his nose, Cloud quickly closed them again and buried his face into his covers. The sun was hitting him straight it in the face. Apparently he had forgotten to close his window last night.

Frowning, he let a few minutes go by as his mind slowly came back into focus. It was weird, waking up like this. Not the fully-clothed, on-to-of-the-covers part, but the part that didn't involve waking to a piercing alarm clock going off in his ear. Shifting slightly, Cloud's frown deepened as the muscles in his right arm protested, sending a dull shock of pain up through his shoulder and down to his fingertips. A small hiss slipped passed his lips and he slowly eased himself up to lean back against the headboard. Not only was his arm killing him but his head felt heavy. It was probably because of the painkillers he had taken last night, plus the fact that he had slept in so late. He hadn't gotten more than six hours of sleep for the past six weeks or so, his body wasn't used to it.

Cloud glanced over at the clock out of curiosity, his mouth falling open as he took in the time. It was already 2 p.m. He had wasted over half of his day off sleeping! Then again…what else was he really going to do? He may not have gotten a full night's sleep for a few weeks now, but he couldn't even remember the last time that he had gotten a real vacation day. Usually he at least brought home some paperwork to go through but Roxas and Axel had made sure that he left his briefcase behind before they left the office.

Not quite sure what to do with himself, Cloud settled on taking a shower, pulling on a change of clothes, then stumbling out to his rather pathetic kitchen to make lunch. He didn't really do much cooking, usually not able to find the time, but luckily he had a freezer stocked full of microwavable dinners. Honestly, he ate worse now than he did when he was in college.

After heating up his less than healthy meal, he plopped himself down on his couch and turned on the T.V. As he ate, Cloud tried to make his mind go blank, to simply focus on the colorful moving pictures on the television screen and shovel food into his mouth. But his brain wasn't having any of it. Images of yesterday kept flashing through his head, along with all of the crime scenes he had been to in the past month or so. All the damage that was done, all the property that was stolen…all the human life carelessly destroyed. Leon, Riku, and Zexion…they were guilty, and he and Axel had almost developed a solid enough case against all three of them to take it to the D.A. and get arrest warrants. Then they had to go and pull a stunt like this…

Axel and Roxas had been right yesterday though. As far as Cloud knew, there was nothing from the scene that could link any of the three to the crime. The only real piece of evidence they had was the text Leon sent to him, but any decent lawyer would be able to counter that in seconds. Perhaps if any stolen property showed up in their possession but…he had a feeling that they were only going to catch the three felons with stolen money once. They seemed to be the type who learned quickly from their mistakes.

Realizing that he had decimated his microwavable meal, Cloud set his plate on the coffee table before settling down in his seat. His arm was still throbbing a bit, but he hadn't expected his bullet wound to magically heal itself over night. Hopefully he would be able to hold his gun again soon; he wasn't going to be very good out in the field if he had a bum right hand for a couple of days. The way the investigation was going, a gun was starting to look more and more necessary to making it out alive. Especially now that Zexion, Riku and Leon had apparently declared war against the Organization. He wasn't sure what they were up to, besides making a statement, and he wasn't sure that he would like the answer when he found out, but something in the back of his mind was nagging at him. They must have had some sort of motive other than simple retaliation. After having spent some time with them, he could imagine Riku doing something like that, but not Leon and certainly not Zexion. The latter two would have had more of a reason behind their actions. He just had to figure out what—

Cloud's thoughts were scattered as a high pitch ringing filled the air. In his rather disheveled state it took him a few moments to realize that it was his phone. What if Roxas was calling about the case?

Practically tripping over his own feet, he jumped up off of the couch and darted into his bedroom. Cloud swore as he heard the ringing coming from a small pile of clothes on the floor, frantically digging through them until he found the jacket he had been wearing yesterday. Digging through the pockets, he finally found his cell, yanking it out and flipping it open just before the call switched over to voicemail. "Hello?!"

"_You sound out of breath._"

Cloud's eyes widened, his grip on the phone subconsciously tightening as he leaned back against his bed, "Leon?"

"_Hey_."

Face falling into a scowl at such a casual response, Cloud glared at his carpeted floor, "What the hell do you mean, '_Hey_'? What were you thinking yesterday?"

"_I was…thinking about a lot of different things._"

Cloud's scowl only deepened as he felt his cheeks flush. He didn't know if the other man had done it intentionally or not but the tone of his voice had implied that one of those things had been him. "Why the call? Did you want to brag about the fact that you managed to elude capture?"

"_No, actually, I'm calling on behalf of all of us. We want to talk._"

"What?" Cloud couldn't have possibly heard right. It had sounded like Leon had said that they wanted to _talk_, "Talk? Talk, like, turn yourself in, talk?"

He heard Leon give a low chuckle, apparently amused by the disbelief in Cloud's voice, "_Sort of. We were thinking of more of a negotiation._"

Cloud's face went blank before he pulled the phone away to stare at it. Yes, the screen said that it was Leon calling. No, he did not appear to be dreaming nor did this appear to be the side affect of his pain meds. So what the hell was going on then? "I don't think that you're in a particularly good position to be asking for a bargain, if that's what you're talking about. After yesterday, you'll be lucky if the judge and jury don't put you right onto Death Row."

There was a small noise and a slight change in Leon's tone, but it was all that it took to let Cloud know that the other man was smiling. The bastard was actually smiling at him. "_We both know that there's nothing to say that what happened yesterday had anything to do with us_."

"Then how do you know what I'm talking about?"

"_Easy. It's been all over the news since six o'clock this morning. I figured you would've known about that_."

Snorting, Cloud picked himself up off the ground and went back into his living room to flick on the T.V. Switching to the local news channel, his face fell as images of the Dark City tower flashed across the screen. "…Looks like they got some nice camera angles of your handiwork. But I still don't see what you possibly have to tell us that could make this go any easier for you. Even if we can't pin you for the Tower explosion, the three of you have more than enough to put you away for life."

"_What if I said that we could hand you the Organization on a silver platter?_"

That caught Cloud's attention. "Run that by me again?"

"_We have the proof you need to send some of the highest members of the Organization to prison_."

Sitting back down on his couch, Cloud laid back so that his head was resting on one of the arms, his knees dangling over the other. If Leon really had proof of that, it would be…well, it would be unbelievable. "Oh yeah? What exactly would that proof be?"

"_I don't think so. First, we get to make a deal, those are the stakes_."

"And how exactly did you come across this proof of yours?"

"_Let's just say we got it through some good luck._"

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"_Just, hear us out Cloud. We'll even come out and meet you. Drive into Traverse Town and we'll be—_"

"Oh no, if you want to try and strike a deal with me and the Twilight Town Police, you're going to have to make it official and come to the station."

"_I assume that we'll be able to walk out without being slapped with arrest warrants?_"

It was like he was reading Cloud's mind. "Depends on what you have to say. It's a possibility." It was if they could get the warrants soon. If he called the D.A.'s office now, he might be able to wrestle up some attention and they could get their warrants issued sooner. They probably wouldn't be officiated for about 48 hours but that would still be plenty fast. Unless—

"_We'll be there tonight then._"

Unless Leon said something like that. Time to make excuses. "Tonight won't work. I've been, uh, forcibly removed from my post for twenty-four hours."

"_What? By who?_"

"By my brother. Something about hypertension or exhaustion and having time to heal. I blame absolutely everything on you by the way."

"_I suppose I deserve it. But, since you're off duty today, we'll be there first thing tomorrow_."

Damn. That meant that he'd have to pull a few strings to get the warrants in before they got to the station. "Fine. It will only go worse for you if you back out now, so I'll expect you to show."

"_We'll be there._"

There was a small pause before the call abruptly ended, Cloud staring at the cell phone screen again before speed dialing another number. So much for his day off. For a minute there, Cloud thought that he might actually be forced to take a break from the case.

Cloud leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling as he waited for his next call to go through. The phone rang, and rang, and just when Cloud was about to hang up and try again, someone finally picked up, "_TTPD, Detective Flynn speaking_."

He couldn't help but smirk at the other man's professional tone. He had never been on the receiving end of one of Axel's business calls before. If he didn't know any better, he would say that the man was a mature officer of the law. "It's Cloud. I—"

Before he could even get going, Axel interrupted him, "_Can you really not let work go for twenty-four hours? You're worse than I thought!_"

"This is important."

"_It'd better be. Otherwise I'm gonna get Roxy in here to give you an earful._"

"Leon just called me."

"_What?!_"

"Leon called."

"_Just out of the blue like that? What the hell? What did he want?_"

That's right. Cloud hadn't ever told Axel about the text Leon had sent him last night. The thought brought a frown to Cloud's face as it brought back to mind the doubt he had about his partner's loyalties. "He, Zexion, and Riku are coming into the station tomorrow morning. They want to talk."

"_They're giving themselves up?_"

Pausing, Cloud considered his next words carefully. If it had been like before, Cloud would have told Axel every detail about the conversation he had just had with their suspects but now…If he were to tell Axel that the three were coming in with information about the Organization, and Axel was actually working for the Organization, something might go wrong with the plan. His heart feeling a little heavier in his chest, Cloud finally replied, "I don't know what they're thinking. Maybe. But either way, I need to get everything set up for us. It's pretty much going to be up to you to contact the D.A.'s office; we need to have arrest warrants for all three of them before they come in tomorrow morning, in case they decide to confess. And reserve an interrogation room for a few hours, I don't know how long it's going to take."

"_And how exactly am I suppose to get our warrants in twelve hours when we've been trying for weeks to get them?_"

"Try harder. Besides, our cases against them are a lot better now than they were the last time we petitioned for a warrant. Pull any strings you have to to make it happen."

"_Yeah, like I have that much political weight to throw around here. But I'll see what I can do. Damn, of course the hard work comes on the day me and Roxy kick you out of the office_."

"You deserve it. Being stuck here is worse."

He heard Axel scoff through the phone line, "_You have a weird sense of bad situations. Anyway, I'll try to have everything ready when you show up tomorrow. Thanks for making my life more complicated._"

"No problem. See you then."

Hanging up, Cloud let his eyes fall closed as he set his phone down on the coffee table, his hand going down to rest on his stomach as he continued to lay sprawled out over the couch. Axel wasn't the only one who suddenly had a complicated life…

* * *

The sun had barely peeked over the eastern horizon when Squall woke, the couch he was sleeping on giving a sharp jolt. Instantly awake, he looked up and found Zexion staring down at him with his usual disinterested expression. "You have half an hour before we need to leave for the train."

Letting out a small grunt to show that he understood, he let his head stay on his pillow a little longer as he watched Zexion hobble out of the room, undoubtedly to go and spend their remaining minutes with Demyx. When they had gotten back to Traverse Town after the drive back, they had all agreed, although rather grudgingly, that it would probably be best if they stuck together for a while. That, and their houses might be under surveillance, either by the police or by the Organization. Neither would have been a good thing to return to. Thus, they had all camped out at Xigbar's place. However, it was still hard for Squall to sleep on a couch with his brother instead of walk fifteen minutes to their home, where they each had beds waiting for them.

Ever since they had gotten back, Sora had alternated between yelling at him for doing something so dangerous and sticking to his side like glue. He was pretty sure that Zexion had received a similar treatment from Demyx. The fact that Cloud had told them not to come in yesterday had actually been a blessing in disguise since he got to spend a full day with his younger brother despite the frustration that came with being confined to a single house with five other men.

Speaking of which…Squall glanced around, looking for Riku. The other man supposedly slept on the floor in the same room but he hadn't been asleep by the time Squall finally crashed on the couch. The fact that he still wasn't in the room either meant that he went to bed really late and got up really early, all while being so quiet about it that Squall didn't wake, or that the silver-haired hitman had never actually slept.

As he finished scanning the room, his gaze settled on Sora. He didn't know how they had managed it, but the two Leonharts had managed to squeeze onto the same couch after neither was willing to make the other sleep on the floor for the night. Right now Sora was curled up on his side, one arm flopped over Squall's legs while the other was tucked under the younger's head as a makeshift pillow. Somehow he still managed to look comfortable.

Knowing that Sora would be mad if he left without saying goodbye, Squall reluctantly reached up and gently shook his brother awake. He waited a moment for Sora's sky blue eyes to flicker open before speaking, his voice still rough from sleep, "Hey Sor, we're going to be leaving in a bit for Twilight Town…"

Sora's eyes squeezed shut again as he clutched onto the blanket covering both of them. "Mmn, no…"

"Yeah."

He heard Sora let out a breath before his eyes once again slipped opened. Then, before Squall knew what was happening, Sora rolled himself up so that he was sitting up on top of Squall's stomach, "No, you can't leave yet…! It's too early."

Wincing as the cold air hit his legs, chilling him despite the fact that he was still fully dressed, Squall only managed a weak smile. "Sorry, but we need to follow the train's schedule."

Sora only frowned down at him at the reply. "Do you really have to leave so soon?"

"Yeah…" Pushing himself up, Sora slid down onto his lap as he sat up, "The faster this is over with, the faster things can go back to normal."

"But—but what if things don't go back to normal…?"

Sora had spoken so low that Squall had barely heard him, "Huh?"

The teen bit his lip before looking down, fiddling nervously with the blanket that had pooled up in between them, "What, what if things don't go back to normal…? I just, you're going to a police station. After what happened, won't they arrest you?"

Squall let out a breath before shrugging his shoulders lightly, "I won't lie…it's a possibility."

"And if they arrest you, doesn't that mean you're going to jail?"

"…Probably."

Lifting his chin, Sora raised his eyes to match his older brother's gaze. The worry in the younger's eyes almost physically pained Squall. "I, don't want you to go then. If you end up in jail I…I don't know what I'd do. I don't think I could, could go through losing anyone else."

Face softening, Squall was about to respond when suddenly two cups of coffee were thrust into his line of sight. Blinking, Squall's eyes followed the cups up to the hands holding them and then to the face, his confusion not lessening any when he found Riku staring back. "Here, you look like you could use it."

Still confused, but sensing that the other was legitimately trying to do a good deed, Squall hesitantly accepted the cup closest to him, "Thanks…"

Seeing the man's offer, Sora blushed, "Uh, sorry, but I don't really drink coffee."

Riku tossed the teen a wink, "I thought that might be the case, which is why yours is hot chocolate."

Squall couldn't help but feel grateful as Sora's face lit up a bit, the teen nodding his thanks and reaching out for the second mug. Eyeing the other man, Squall frowned up at him, "You're up early."

"Didn't bother going to sleep."

Letting out a hum, Squall took a moment to take a sip of his coffee. "Are you that nervous about today?"

Riku blinked back before a small smirk slipped onto his face, although Squall noted that it lacked some of his normal arrogance, "Not so much, although I'll admit I'm not so hot on the idea of walking into the lion's den. Mostly I just didn't see the point, since we're getting up so damn early this morning."

"Won't you be tired?"

Both Riku and Squall looked back over at Sora, both having forgotten that he was there for a minute. Nevertheless, Riku rolled with it and gave the teen a comforting smile, "Don't worry about me, kid. I can handle one night of not sleeping. Besides, there wasn't much to do yesterday but sleep anyway, so I'm at my limit."

"That is good to hear. It would be rather inappropriate for you to fall asleep in the middle of our bargaining." Zexion had reappeared back in the doorway, "We now have about twenty minutes before we need to leave. I would suggest getting yourselves ready to go."

Riku rested his chin on his hand as he leaned over the back of the couch, "Did you stash all the loot?"

Zexion's brow rose before he gave a small nod. "Everything has been taken care of. I have returned Xigbar's weapons to him and the money will be safe momentarily. Ah, the weapons remind me: it would be prudent of you to leave any weapons you may have here. The last thing we need is to give them the excuse to arrest us for concealed weaponry…"

"Don't worry, I was a good boy and left my holster off this morning."

"No hidden knives anywhere?"

"Zex, only you're weird enough to actually hide daggers under your clothes. Have a little faith in us."

Even from across the darkened room, Squall could tell that Zexion was rolling his eyes, "Only after you are able to earn it…Now, make the best of your time. The next time you see me, it will be time for us to leave."

Squall and Riku both nodded. However, Squall had no idea how twenty minutes could pass by so fast. Before he knew it, Zexion was back in the hallway and he was climbing off of the couch after receiving a tighter hug from Sora than he ever thought his brother capable of giving. He ignored the kiss Demyx and Zexion were sharing and even pretended not to see the small hug Sora gave Riku despite how much it made his stomach twist to see. After all, despite how much he didn't want to think about it, this could be the last time the two were going to see each other without being separated by jail bars.

It felt strange as the three of them finally stepped out of Xigbar's house, each carrying nothing except enough money for the train and the CD tucked safely away in Zexion's pocket. Squall had become so accustomed to having his gun on him that he almost felt naked. It was still too early for the general population to be up so they had the streets to themselves as they walked to the train station. Only a handful of people were waiting at the station, the sun still only rose halfway above the horizon as they boarded the train.

The ride to Twilight Town probably would have been rather pleasant had Squall not been so completely unsure about what they were about to do. The sunrise was beautiful that morning as it rose over the fading autumn landscape, the word reflecting a soft of glow in the pale light. It had been a while since he had been up to see a sunrise.

By the time that they pulled into Twilight Town station, the sun had risen fully and was just starting to beat off the chill left behind by the night. The small city was enveloped in a fog bank that had seeped up from the seashore, making it hard to see to the end of the streets. Not that it mattered; by now, all three of them had a pretty good idea about where they needed to go. Stepping out onto the platform, Squall pushed his hands into his pockets as they continued walking straight ahead.

Sooner than he would have liked, the Twilight Town police station emerged from the fog, Squall's pace slowing at the sight just enough to be noticed by his companions. Turning around, Riku gave him a look, "What? Having second thoughts?"

Letting out a sigh, Squall shook his head. He couldn't stop thinking about what Sora had said. "It just, feels like we're giving up. Do you think they're really going to arrest us?"

"I dunno, you're probably the one who'd know best."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think Detective Strife has it in him to arrest you?"

What sort of question was that? "Yeah. He seems pretty intent on it, actually."

"Then they'd better go for our trade or there's your answer."

Squall had known what the answer was; maybe he had asked just to have someone actually say it out loud. Shaking his head again, he returned to a normal pace, keeping up with Riku as the two quickly climbed the short flight of stairs up to the front of the building. Zexion took a little longer to get up with his crutches, but Squall couldn't say that he minded the break. Was it strange that this scared him more than going into battle or breaking into a building?

He tried to push the thoughts away as Zexion made it up to the top, all but holding his breath as they stepped through the front doors only to immediately spot some familiar faces. Cloud and Axel had apparently been waiting for them.

Keeping his gaze away from the blonde detective's face, Squall let Zexion do the talking. The shorter man was much more eloquent anyway. "Good morning gentlemen. Shall we get this over with?"

Axel smiled dryly, "Sounds like a plan. But I'm sure you won't mind if we pat you down first."

Riku rolled his eyes, "Of course not."

"Good. You know the drill. Turn around, hands on the wall, legs apart."

Squall sighed but did as the redhead said, Riku even more reluctant to obey him as they all slowly turned around. Zexion kept silent as Axel patted him down, Squall too remaining quiet as Cloud came up and made sure that he didn't have any weapons on him. Squall had to bite his lip to keep a comment slipping out though as Cloud quickly ran his hands over his body, his motions completely professional but arousing nonetheless. But it seemed that Cloud didn't want to linger and switched over to Riku the instant he had finished with Squall. Riku scowled down at the blonde, "You guys really need a metal detector."

Glancing up, Cloud finished his search, "I wouldn't trust it. Besides, I wouldn't put it past any of you to carry non-metfallic weapons."

Axel nodded in agreement, "But it looks like you guys are clean. Come on, the room's right over here."

The three followed at a short distance as the two lawmen led them down a hallway Squall knew only too well. Cloud and Axel's demeanors were casual but it wasn't hard to pinpoint a tension just beneath the surface. He supposed he really couldn't blame them; after all, within the last few days alone, they had dragged the two detectives into a firefight and car chase, escaped from the cabin and out of police protection, only to turn around less than twenty-four hours later and bomb a skyscraper.

After they had all filed into one of the interrogation rooms and sat down around a table, Cloud pulled a tape recorder out and set it on the tabletop, speaking a moment later. His voice was soft but guarded, clearly not wanting to waste this opportunity, "So, Zexion, Riku, and Leon; yesterday you called me asking for a meeting and have come here by your own freewill, is that correct?"

Zexion nodded briskly and launched into his speech, "Indeed. Detectives, we are fully aware that you have been building a case against us and intend to put us in jail for our crimes."

"Are you admitting to them then?"

"Hardly. I will not do your job for you. However, knowing that the two of you are at least somewhat adept, I am assuming that you already have something against us. We three are here to offer a deal."

Axel scoffed, "Oh yeah? It doesn't seem like you really have much to bargain with."

Eyes sharpening, Squall finally looked up at Cloud at the redhead's comment. Didn't Cloud tell Axel about what they had said on the phone? It seemed like it would be an important point to mention to his partner. Unless…Realizing that he was being stared at, Cloud's eyes connected with his, an understanding suddenly sparking through them. He suspected Axel of being the informant.

Squall's gaze turned to study Axel's expression as Zexion continued, unphased by the turn of events, "A certain piece of evidence has come into our possession through a series of events, much too complex to discuss." Reaching into his pocket, Zexion pulled out the CD and set it on the table in front of him, "On this disk is a compliation of data that proves, without a doubt, the involvement of several well-known businessmen from Dark City with the crime ring known as the Organization."

Axel's face paled a bit, whether from surprise or something else, Squall couldn't be sure. "How, how can we trust that anything on that is authentic? It seems like it would be an easy thing for you to type up on your home computer."

"Because you can trace the data back to having originated from computers in the possession of the Organization, specifically those computers located on the fifth floor of a certain tower in Dark City. If your department does not now how to verify this, I would be happy to give your IT employees a short lesson."

Cloud frowned, "I'm sure our guys will manage, and you can bet that we'll double check. But for now, Axel, go grab a laptop."

"Are you serious? You want to go over this now?"

"Before we go any further with any sort of bargain, we need to know what we're getting for it."

"I don't think so." Snatching up the CD before either detective could get their hands on it, Riku waved it around, "Before you see this, we need to set some rules. When you finally admit that the stuff on here's real, what are we going to get for it?"

Cloud's face fell into a frown, "Maybe we'll advise the judge not to give you a death sentence."

"Yeah, that's not good enough."

Zexion stepped in before an argument could erupt, "Allow me to put it this way. Though the three of us have caused you a bit of a headache over the past month or so, which would be a greater accomplishment? Putting us in jail, or putting some of the most notorious crime lords of the region in jail?"

Axel crossed his arms, eyeing the CD warily, "We still wouldn't have the same sort of evidence against them that we have on you, no matter what's on that disk. By the end of it, we probably wouldn't be able to put them away for more than a few years."

"I suppose you will have to decide which is more important to you and your department then, getting us off the streets or putting career criminals behind bars, if only for a few years. I hope you realize that by doing this, the ones who are most at risk in all of this are us. We are putting our lives on the line to, to ensure that justice is done, and to make some recompense for the damage we have caused." Leon barely kept in a small snort. There was nothing selfless about their actions, and everyone here knew it. However, it would probably sound good on tape, which undoubtedly was Zexion's motive.

Cloud stayed quiet for a minute, his lips pursing before he spoke up. Squall could tell that he wasn't happy with the situation. "If, and only _if_ the information is accurate, and we are able to take in the Organization…we might be able to arrange some sort of deal with you—"

"Cloud!"

The blonde shot a quick glance to his partner at Axel's exclamation, "I'm not exactly comfortable with this Ax, but this could be our only chance to nail the Organization for anything. And, despite the damage you guys have caused, I know it's a lot less than the damage the Organization deals out annually. So make an offer."

This is the moment they had all been waiting for, Zexion speaking up after a short pause, "Nothing less than a pardon for all three of us."

Axel let out a sort of choking noise as Cloud's eyebrows shot up. "A full pardon? With everything that you've done? I don't think so!"

"Well, I am afraid that spending time in prison is not in our plans for the future. Consider your options well before you respond."

Squall could tell that Cloud was becoming stressed, the blonde's finger tapping on the tabletop as his brow furrowed. The decision must be a hard one for the detective to make, but that didn't mean that Squall was going to let up any pressure, "Who would you rather see being sentenced in a courtroom? Us, or the Organization?"

"You all should be sentenced in a courtroom! But, in the long run…" Cloud heaved a sigh, Axel watching cautiously as he spoke again, his voice sounding almost defeated, "In the long run, as much as I would like to see you all in prison…this is just too good of an opportunity. So…full probation for five years, for each of you, _if_, and only if, the Organization is convicted. If not, no deal."

Axel sat up, "No way Cloud, we've worked way too hard on this to—"

Interrupting before Axel could continue, Zexion nodded, "Deal accepted. Riku, if you would?"

Smirking, Riku set the CD onto the table again and slid it across to where Cloud was sitting. As soon as Cloud's fingertips touched the disk, Axel rose to his feet with a disgusted look on his face and, before Cloud could even say a word, stalked out of the room.

Cloud frowned but tightened his grip on the disk, picking it up before reaching over to turn off the tape recorder, "Looks like this meeting is over…"

"So it would appear. Well, thank you very much for your time Detective Strife. I would say that it has been a pleasure doing business with you but I believe it has been a headache for everyone involved."

"I'm assuming you can see yourselves out?"

Riku smirked, "I think we'll manage."

Leaning back in his chair, the blonde watched as his three suspects-turned-collaborators stood up, eyes drifting up as Squall lingered behind. Letting out a sigh, Cloud tilted his head up, "…What? Do you want to rub it in my face that I have to let my case go?"

Squall shook his head. It hadn't even crossed his mind to do so. Speaking for the first time since they had gotten into the station, Squall stepped closer to the detective, "No. How's your arm? That's where you were injured right?...You've been holding right arm stiffly all morning."

Cloud nodded slowly, then rolled up his sleeve to show Squall the bandages wrapped around his forearm. A small breath left Squall as he saw the wound's location; it was in nearly the same place that Seifer had gotten shot the last time he had seen the other soldier. It seemed like so long ago. Taking another step forward, Squall fingered the bandages lightly, "Looks like they did a good job treating you."

The man's blue eyes were on Squall's fingers, a frown slipping onto his lips, "They did. Of course, if you hadn't gone looking for trouble, it never would have happened in the first place."

The bitterness in Cloud's voice stung, but Squall hid the emotion as he withdrew his hand, "It was the last time. After all," he straightened up and turned towards the door, "we're working with the police now."

"Don't add insult to injury."

Squall shook his head with a small smile, the expression fading as he reached the door, "Look over the CD. And keep an eye on Axel. I think, you might be right about him…"


	19. Chapter 19

Aww, I don't know how many of you are aware, but this story's starting to wind down! Only a few more chapters left! *sigh* What am I going to do with myself afterwards?

On a different and entirely more serious note, I'm sure most of you have heard of the earthquake and the terrible aftermath that happened in Haiti. I encourage all of you Americans to go to the American Red Cross's website (www. redcross. org, without the spaces) and click on that big red donation button; even $10 is a big help. I heard that you can also donate $10 by texting "HAITI" to 9-0-9-9-9. I'm not sure how it works in other countries, but yeah, that's my little public service announcement.

Huge, enormous thanks and hugs go out to ChaosGarden, Jellicle-Wishes, Cracked Plastic Crown, Shinimegami7, BlackCatHikari, Nekotsubasa, Love-in-the-Stars, Trempush, xHanako, Lucia-luce, RealityInABottle, ramen-is-my-goddess, Caithdean, bliss, chibi heishi, SUFFERINGLOSTSOUL, Becca86, DeNiSaY60, Little Wolf Vamp Hearts Yaoi, Dragi, , Arid Tundra, Clockwork Phoenix, MadeInHolland, JigokuYume, ooXloveXoo582, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Aindel S. Druida, Bane-Dane, nearcreature, becauseimthefavorite, IceySTAR., LoneBoy7!! You dudes are the best! ^^

O

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Chapter 19

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Cloud sat for the Interrogation Room for a few minutes after Leon had left, clutching the CD in one hand while just staring at the wall. How had things turned out like this…? He and Axel were going to nail Leon, Zexion, and Riku for their robberies, put them in jail, then move onto their next case to start the whole thing over again. But now…he had just cut a deal with his suspects to put an even more dangerous adversary behind bars and Axel…Axel wasn't beside him any more.

That was the part that bothered him most. He and Axel had been working together for two years now. He had absolute faith in the man, hell, he was even starting to be okay with the idea that Axel and Roxas had something going on between them. Axel had always seemed so sincere…the last thing Cloud ever would have thought was that he'd been double-crossing the department. He still didn't want to admit it but, judging by the redhead's behavior during the interview, he was hiding something. And the worst part of it all was that Cloud knew that he would have to find out what the truth was now.

For the first time in his career, Cloud didn't want to know the truth.

Unfortunately he had a job to do. Pushing his chair out, Cloud stood up, carefully molding his face into a blank expression before stepping out of the room. The building was beginning to fill with day shift employees and he didn't want anyone asking any unnecessary questions just because he was wearing a funny look. As he walked back towards the main lobby, he was nearly instantly jumped by his brother. Roxas's brows were drawn down in worry, his voice serious but tinged with anxiety as he spoke, "What happened? I got up when I saw Axel storm out but he just, just brushed me aside and stormed into your office! He looked really ticked off."

"I'll tell you what happened in a minute Rox, but I need to talk to Axel first."

"Hey! Don't you just brush me off too! I'm really worried here, the least you could do is—"

"Roxas, I said I'll tell you later." Cloud's tone was sharp and left no room for argument.

Roxas's shoulders fell and with a great deal of reluctance turned away, "Fine. But, if it's important, I want to know."

"You'll find out soon enough…"

Not feeling up to meeting his brother's gaze, Cloud continued on, pausing only a second as he reached his office door. He wasn't sure what to expect on the other side. If Axel was guilty of something, how would he be acting now? Expecting the worst, Cloud steeled himself and let one hand drop down to rest on his hip so that his fingers were only inches away from his gun. Taking a breath, Cloud gave one sharp knock on the door before pulling it open just enough to slip inside.

Axel had apparently been waiting for him, though the redhead's back was to the door as he leaned up against his desk and stared out the window. Closing the door behind him, Cloud cautiously stepped forward. Even though his partner had his back turned, Cloud knew him well enough to know that the other man was furious. His suspicions were confirmed as he took another step forward and Axel finally reacted to his presence.

Straightening up, the other detective threw down a sheaf of paper onto his desk, "Dammit Cloud, why did you cut a deal with them? We had them! We were about to close the case!"

Recognizing the papers as Leon, Zexion, and Riku's arrest warrants which Axel had stayed up all night to receive, Cloud grimaced. This was not a good place for this conversation to start. "They're still going to have to go to court, and they'll be under house arrest; it'll pretty much be the same thing as jail, accept for the prison bars. We'll have a probation officers following them around so closely that they won't be able to so much as sneeze without us knowing about it—"

"It's not the same! You might as well have just let them walk! After everything—Just because you fell in love with Leon, doesn't mean you can just decide to let him off!"

Cloud bristled. He was sick and tired of listening to Axel go on about that! Even if he had…developed some level of connection to the SeeD…first off, it still was no where near love, and secondly he would have made the exact same decision had he hated the brunette with every fiber of his being. "That has absolutely nothing to do with this! Besides, we could only concretely link them to one robbery, the rest was circumstantial. Who knows what they could've gotten away with in court?! Think about it for a second, will you?"

Axel fell silent and Cloud immediately began to mentally backpedal to try and figure out what he had said to make the redhead give that sort of expression. Finally, Axel turned away with a sickened look on his face. "So you're not even going to deny it anymore huh?"

Trying desperately to suppress an urge to yell, Cloud forced himself to regain some composure. He had other things to deal with right now than accusations about who he found attractive. "I think that the real question here is why are you so upset about the deal we made? You realize that if this information," Cloud motioned towards the disk in his hands, "if it's verifiable, and if it's as damning as they claim, we'll be able to take some ranking members of the Organization to trial. Do you know what that would mean? It would spell the end of a crime group that has been ruining lives for years."

Axel was frowning heavily at this point, his head tilted so that Cloud wasn't able to read the emotions flashing through his eyes. "It's not the same."

Cloud let out a sigh to try and keep his voice steady. He knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't expected it to be this hard. "Axel…?"

The tension between them was growing too thick as Cloud tried to put his question into words, Axel finally snapping as it grew too much to take. Spinning around, the redhead threw out his arms, "What? What is it? Just ask me what you want to ask me!"

"Fine!" Voice rising in volume with his mounting frustration, Cloud walked right up to the other man so that he could look right into his eyes. "Axel, are you working for the Organization?"

"Why would you even think that I—"

"I'm not stupid, Ax! When we were back in that gunfight in the tower the day before yesterday, I know that you aren't that bad of an aim. You didn't hit one guy! You threw yourself into our case, but the moment the Organization is brought up you suddenly aren't interested anymore. I watched you freak out during our meeting as soon as they told us what was on that CD! Tell me why I shouldn't suspect you?! Give me a reason!"

He might have been yelling angrily but Cloud was pleading with his eyes. Just one reason to explain the strange behavior. Anything…

But the redhead just looked away, "Tch…you always stick your nose into other people's business…"

"Axel—"

"—Yeah, I work for the Organization, okay?"

And Cloud's world came crashing down around him. The one man who he had fully trusted, after everything…It couldn't actually be true. "You can't—"

Axel once again interrupted, his green eyes darker than Cloud had ever seen them, "—Sure I can. Not everyone's perfect like you Cloud. Some of us actually went through some shit in our lives! Now, give me that CD, alright?"

The demand revived Cloud and his anger flared as his left hand tightened its grip around the disk, "No."

"I'm serious, give it to me and let's just forget anything happened."

Cloud shook his head defiantly. "No way in hell! I'm going through with this whether or not you're with me!"

"Cloud." Axel's tone had shifted now, to something Cloud almost didn't recognize as his partner moved forward to close the slight space between them, "I'm dead serious. Don't make me do this."

Cloud was just about to ask what he was talking about when he caught sight of the other's hand slip down to his belt. Toward his gun. Not giving himself the time to think, Cloud moved faster, managing to whip out his own pistol just as Axel's fingers touched his holster.

Cloud's voice was shaking, his whole body was shaking, as he pointed the barrel of his handgun straight at his partner's heart, "Don't move!"

Axel looked just as shocked as he felt, the man swallowing once before regaining some sort of courage, "You won't shoot me."

"No?" Cloud met his eyes, daring him to test his theory out, "There's plenty of places to hit you without killing you, but believe me it'll still hurt like a bitch. And I might find it in me, seeing as you were about to do the same to me."

Glancing down, Axel eyed the gun pressed against his chest, "Your grip's loose."

"Shut up, Axel!" His grip wasn't just loose but it was killing him. Out of habit and necessity, his left hand holding the CD, he had grabbed his pistol with his right hand, momentarily forgetting that he had injured his arm. Even the slight strain on his muscles and the effort it was taking to keeping his arm up and outstretched was being to throb with pain. "I can't believe you! I can't believe that you would do something like this!"

"What, you mean join up with the Organization? It's not like it's something I'm proud of." Looking up, Cloud was finally able to pinpoint the look in Axel's eyes. It was something that he had never thought he'd see from the man: self-loathing. "I was stupid as a kid. Shit happened, and they took me in. That simple."

"Then why are you still working for them?"

"Because there were benefits! If it wasn't for me, they…" Axel took a deep breath, seemingly having forgotten about the handgun pressed to his heart as some of his rage seemed to return, "Do you know how long I've been protecting your ass?"

Cloud blinked at the sudden question, the conversation having taken a very strange turn, "What?"

"All because you won't get the hint and are so damned 'high and mighty' and 'dedicated to justice'! You know what happens to guys like you? The Organization makes them disappear! You have no idea the cards I've had to play to keep them distracted. I've been keeping the Organization off yours and Roxas's backs for two years now!"

At the mention of his brother's name, Axel now had his full attention. Cloud's jaw tightened as he pressed his gun in closer, demanding an answer, "What do they want with Roxas?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?! They probably see him as a potential recruit or something! I'm doing my best to keep both of us from finding out!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and both men froze, Cloud's eyes moving up to meet Axel's as they heard the door creek open. They were both warning each other with their eyes to stay silent, Cloud turning Axel around so that his back was once again to the door. The blonde was unwilling to let his guard down for a moment. He had seen the desperation in Axel's eyes. Slightly out of breath from yelling, Cloud swallowed once to try and level his tone, "Who is it?"

"It's me! What the heck are you guys doing in here?"

Damn it; it was like Roxas had been summoned by mentioning his name and his brother was definitely the last person Cloud wanted to walk in on the current situation. Cloud's voice tightened as Roxas cracked the door open, "This is between us Roxas, get back to work."

"Don't order me around! Besides, we can hear you screaming at each other out here, if you have to argue, at least do it outside of the station."

The two detectives looked as each other again and Axel finally ground out, "Did you hear what we were saying?"

"No, not really, but the tone was pretty clear. Look, what's going on?" Before either of them could say anything Roxas poked his head inside the office. There was a pause and for a moment Cloud thought he might not have noticed. Then, he saw the smaller blonde's blue eyes widen and knew that he had seen the pistol.

Instantly Roxas was completely inside the room, slamming the door behind him with a panicked face, "_Axel_! Cloud, what the hell are you doing?!" Running over, Roxas forced himself between Cloud and Axel, "Put that down!"

Cloud growled in frustration but was unable to keep his handgun up while his little brother was in the way. "Roxas, move! You don't know what's happening!"

"That's because no one will explain it to me! All I know is what I see: you pointing a gun at Axel!"

Axel shifted and for half a second Cloud's heart skipped a beat thinking that the other man was reaching for his gun. If he pulled out his gun now, with Roxas standing where he was, he could easier hold the smaller man hostage! "Get back, Roxas! Axel's working for the Organization!"

Starting, Roxas's face paled as he realized that Cloud was being serious. Spinning around, his gaze flying up to Axel's face, "Wh-what?"

Axel's eyes fell shut as if he was in pain, "Roxy, wait—"

Roxas took another step back so that he was standing next to Cloud, the smaller blonde shaking his head in disbelief, "—It's, it's not true, is it? Axel, it can't be…"

"Would you just let me explain, Roxy?"

"_Don't call me Roxy_! Axel, you, you really…" Choking up, Roxas's hands balled into fists before he suddenly reached back, his tone deadly, "Give me your gun, Cloud!"

"What? No!" Wrestling his brother off of his firearm, Cloud knew that he had to do his job, no matter the emotions constricting his heart. "Enough! Axel," Looking up, Cloud saw that the man's eyes were downcast, his hands clenched at his side. Cloud squared his shoulders, preparing himself for the worst news, "Axel, are you the informant?"

Confusion once again washed over Roxas's face though disgust was still the overriding expression on his face. "Informant? What do you mean?"

Cloud's eyes never left Axel, "Someone within the department has been passing confidential information about our cases onto the Organization. Was it you this whole time Axel?"

Axel muttered something under his breath and Cloud scowled, "Speak up!"

Axel's gaze finally lifted again, his tone dark but earnest. "I said 'I wouldn't do that'."

Roxas was the first of the Strife brothers to reply, "Oh, so now we should believe you?"

"Look," Axel lifted his hands to run them through his red spikes, "I know that I'm not exactly the most truthful person in your guys' eyes right now but I'm not selling our information to anyone and you've gotta believe that. I'll admit, they asked me to but I told them straight out that would be going too far."

"Oh, yeah, good time to show some restraint, you asshole!"

Shushing his brother, Cloud decided that in this case he was going to give Axel the benefit of the doubt. After all if he had been honest about being a member of the Organization, it seemed weird of him to try and hide the fact that he was the informant. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to let up his interrogation. "So if it wasn't you, you still must know who the informant is. After all, you're working for the same people."

Shifting, Axel remained silent for a minute before nodding, "Yeah, I know who is it…But," continuing before Cloud could comment, Axel crossed his arms, "you have to ask yourself if you really want to ask me about them."

Cloud narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What do you mean?"

"This isn't as simple as you think it is, Cloud. If you want to start this, you're going to have to see this through to the end or else the Organization will eat you alive. It's not going to be easy."

"Just tell me what you know!"

"Are you sure?"

"_Axel_!" This time it was Roxas who had spoken, the shorter blonde's anger still at a boiling point. Cloud couldn't blame him; he knew that his brother had grown really fond of the redhead. Just how fond, he didn't know, didn't want to know, but Cloud knew that the pain of betrayal he was feeling must only be worse for Roxas. "Just frickin' tell us already! Who is it? Who's the informant?"

Axel still seemed hesitant about it and Cloud was himself getting beyond frustrated, "Tell us everything. If you feel at all guilty about it, this would be a real good chance to start making it up to us."

At the comment Axel closed his eyes again, the man's brow furrowing before a name slipped through his lips, "…Head Detective Fisher…"

"What?"

"If you want to know more about it you should talk to Head Detective Fisher."

Cloud's whole body went cold. "Dilan Fisher?"

"Yeah," Axel sighed before his acidic green eyes flashed opened and gave them a tight, mirthless grin, "though he mostly goes by 'Xaldin' in the Organization."

Roxas's jaw dropped in shock, "Holy crap…! Axel…you, you're lying!"

Axel's jaw tightened, "I'm not lying Roxas. I never wanted either of you involved in this, but you had to go and find out about it anyway." Chuckling dryly, he leaned back against his desk, "But I really shouldn't have expected anything less from you, Cloud. Like I was saying, this goes way deeper than you realize."

Cloud swallowed, "How many others…?"

"Huh?"

"How many other department staff are working for the Organization?"

Shrugging Axel finally looked like he was relaxing, as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Cloud almost understood but he thought the man should be showing a little more sobriety, given the fact that he was facing losing his job, not to mention serious jail time. As a cop, the last thing you ever wanted to do was end up in prison along with all the other criminals you put there. "Well you just learned about the big two. I think there might be one more among the clerical staff, but he's a real low rank, like a grunt member. I can't even remember his name…"

"Well that's good news…"

His sarcasm wasn't lost on Axel. "Believe me, it is. You should see how entrenched the Organization is in the bigger cities."

Cloud didn't even want to think about it. Right now he was trying to figure out how the hell he was supposed to proceed. Axel was right; now that he knew, he wasn't going to be able to back down. He needed to see this through. Which meant that he made to confront his supervisor, and fast, before Detective Fisher realized that he knew. Otherwise, he'd have the authority to fire Cloud before he could do anything about it. But Cloud was going to need help to do it; he needed proof to make an accusation like that. "Hey Axel…"

Axel seemed reluctant to answer, "Yeah?"

Letting out a long sigh of his own, Cloud holstered his weapon, much to everyone's surprise, "The way I figure it…I already made one deal today, making one more isn't really going to kill me." Clearly interested, Axel raised a brow. "I'm, going to need help with this one. And, just like letting Leon, Zexion, and Riku off the hook is worth nailing the Organization, cutting you a deal for cooperation would definitely be worth taking Fisher in if he really is the informant like you say. Besides," Cloud let a weak smile cross his face, "this is something I need my partner at my side for."

The blonde detective was startled as Roxas suddenly grabbed his arm, "Forget about him! I'll come with you!"

"I don't think so." Axel stepped forward with a sincere, thankful smile, "Count me in." Looking down at the CD still clutched in Cloud's fingers, "If you're really taking on the Organization, you're going to need someone to help you tear it down from the inside."

"Are you willing to put yourself out in the open like that?"

"Yeah. I'm done with all their shit, it's time for me to move on. If moving on means testifying in court then I guess I'll just have to deal with it. Let 'em do whatever they want about it…"

Roxas gaped at his brother, "I can't believe you! How can you trust him now?"

Remaining silent for a few moments, Cloud finally shrugged, "…I can't, and I won't." Axel's expression fell though he looked as if that had been what he was expecting to hear. Having seen the change, Cloud released a breath and put his hands on his hips. It was true; as far as he was concerned, his entire impression of the other detective had been shattered. There was no way that he would be able to truly believe that anything that came out of the redhead's mouth was the truth, that the other man really had his back. But…as much as Axel's admission had crushed their relationship, Cloud still couldn't help but believe that somewhere in this new Axel was the old Axel that he had come to know over the two years, and that Axel was just too good of a companion to completely abandon. "There's only one thing for it. Axel, you're going to have to try and earn my trust back. Am I clear?"

As if sensing that he was getting a second chance, Axel's dejected expression regained some of its confidence, "Crystal clear."

"Good." Now they had to get back to business. If they were going to hit the Organization, they would need to hit them fast and hard before the Organization could build up any sort of retaliation against them. Cloud was going to have to coordinate the release of whatever data was on that CD and Fisher's arrest, and it was going to have to happen soon, today, within the hour. He was going to have to put some faith in the idea that whatever was on the CD was going to be enough to prosecute at least some of the highest members of the Organization. That meant that he was going to have to have some faith in the idea that Zexion, Leon, and Riku weren't trying to screw him over. But, thinking about it, their freedom depending on the validity of the data. At the very least, if Cloud went down he knew that he would be taking them with him.

With that though in mind, Cloud looked up, his voice allowing no room for argument, "Then let's not waste anymore time. Rox, confiscate Axel's gun." Roxas did so readily and Axel let him though not without giving Cloud a look. "Even if you've really turned over a new leaf, you're still being paid by the Organization and I'm not about to go into a situation while allowing you to be armed. Are you sure there isn't anybody else among the staff working for the Organization beside those you already mentioned?"

Axel shook his head, "I told you everyone I knew about. That clerk only works the nightshift though, so he'll have left the station by now. And, not to brag, but I was pretty high on the ranks; if there were other people planted here, I would've heard about it."

"Good, we don't need anyone getting in our way."

Roxas's eyes widened slightly as Cloud put the CD down on his desk, "What are you planning on doing?"

"Simple." Pulling his own handgun back out, Cloud checked that he had a full clip, "I'm going to go arrest my supervisor for conspiracy."

"You're crazy!"

"Why? He's in his office, isn't he?"

Roxas sputtered for a minute before glancing up at Axel then, remembering what had just transpired, quickly jerked his face back to look at his brother, "That's not the point! You, you need a warrant and evidence and all that crap! You can't just burst in and—"

"This is an emergency situation, I'm sure the law will forgive me. Now, are you coming or not?"

Pursing his lips, Roxas shook his head before he tightened his hold on Axel's firearm, "Of course!"

"And Axel? Are you?"

"Just waiting on you!"

"Alright, then let's go." Not waiting for any more uncertainty, Cloud walked to the door and pushed it open. Stepping out into the main area of the station, Cloud realized that they had attracted the attention of all of the other desk workers and off-duty officers loitering around the room, undoubtedly because of their raised voices. They of course immediately spotted the weapons in Cloud and Roxas's hands but Cloud ignored all of their questions, merely stating that he had business to attend to. He should've took the time to explain the situation but if he had stopped to talk, they would've wanted to hear the whole story before they let him go and who knew how long that would have taken? There would be time for explanations later.

Moving quickly, Cloud tried to steady his thoughts as he turned down the hall to head to where all of the higher ranking officers had their offices. Head Detective Fisher's office was right next to the Police Chief's…oh god, Cloud hoped that the Chief hadn't come in yet. But he didn't have time to think about that right now. He had to focus and push his anxieties to the side. He had a job to do.

Too soon Cloud came to the right door, his face pale but set. Glancing back once to make sure that Roxas and Axel were right behind him, Cloud took a breath and switched his gun back to his right hand. Even though that arm was ridiculously weak right now, he was just too inaccurate a shot with his left. If he did need to use his gun he was going to make sure that the bullet went exactly where he wanted it to go.

A small group had followed them from the other room but Cloud brushed them from his mind and gave the Head Detective's door a swift and powerful kick, using both arms to hold his weapon as the door flew open. His boss was sitting as his desk, a shocked look on the large man's face, "Detective Dilan Fisher, you are under arrest!"

He felt Roxas rush up to stand beside him, the younger man shaking as he held his gun out. That's right; Roxas wasn't an officer yet, he had no experience with this sort of thing. He was just going to have to learn fast. Cloud's attention flew back to the Head Detective as the man pushed himself up, his expression having shifted from shock to a disturbing calm, in Cloud's opinion only making the man look even more intimidating. He had never been fond of his supervisor, though he had respected the man, and even he had to fight to not back down under Detective Fisher's, or Xaldin's, cold stare. "Detective Strife, the door was unlocked; there was no need to break it down."

Cloud wasn't going to be sidetracked, hardening his voice to show that he meant business, "I said you're under arrest! Get on the ground with your hands behind your head!"

"That's quite a statement. Under what authority do you dare try to arrest your supervising officer?"

"On my own authority!"

Large brows rising, Detective Fisher looked back at him mockingly, "Oh really? And here I was under the impression that you worked under me. By the way, haven't you become a bit distracted from your real case Strife? Something about burglaries…I was aware that you were becoming a little obsessive about it but I hadn't realized that it had devolved into delusion."

"This is my case now, and I can assure you, I'm not delusional! Now get on the floor, you're under arrest!"

"What would the charge be?"

Narrowing his eyes, Cloud stepped slightly to the side so that his supervisor could clearly see Axel standing behind him, the redhead giving a quick wave, "Conspiracy for one! You've been selling confidential information to the Organization!"

Cloud heard murmurs erupt further behind them but ignored it as Detective Fisher's face twisted into something darker before the man let out a low chuckle, his hands sliding smoothly into his pockets, "Axel…I should have known that you would have opened that big mouth of yours and start spreading rumors. Are you aware, Cloud, that the man standing behind you is working for the Organization?"

Before Cloud could reply, Roxas beat him to it, "Shut up! Of course we know, Axel told us everything!"

"Then I suppose there is only one way to respond to this." As the Head Detective slipped his right hand from his pocket, Cloud eyes just barely caught a small metallic shine before a gun seemed to materialize in Fisher's grip, "You should've known when to quit."

But Cloud had prepared himself for the worst. Never having let his guard down, his arms were already stabilized, his shot lined up.

Gunfire erupted in the small room, shouts echoing out as the officers behind them reached for their own weapons. Hearing a cry beside him, Cloud was shoved lightly to the side as Roxas suddenly fell to the ground, Cloud only able to spare his brother a glance. Axel had tackled him from behind and thrown himself on top of the smaller man to protect him from the bullets. Feeling a round scrape passed his own ear, Cloud focus was instantly brought back and he knew that this had to end now. Fisher was aiming for his head; he was aiming to kill. Caught in the doorway thanks to the small crowd of people behind him, there was no where for Cloud to take cover. He had no choice but to take a stand.

Luckily, Cloud had always had good aim, and even with a weak arm his accuracy was still adequate enough to get the job done. Cloud fired his gun and a loud shout split the air as the bullet flew straight into Head Detective Fisher's leg a few inches below his kneecap. The sudden pain caused the other man to drop his weapon, Cloud instantly approaching just close enough to kick the firearm to the other side of the room as the sound of gunfire ceased, "I'll say it one more time. You're under arrest! Turn around with your hands behind your back! Someone call an ambulance, he's going to have to go to the hospital."

Fisher glared up at him from his crouched position, clutching both hands over his leg as blood began to seep through his fingers. Cloud couldn't quite see his complete reaction passed the dreadlocks hanging in the man's face but he knew that the other was still feeling murderous. Warily kneeling down beside him, Cloud wrenched the man's hands free and tugged them behind his back, pulling a pair of handcuffs off of his belt and quickly snapping them into place, "Don't make this any harder than you already have, Detective."

Xaldin replied in a low growl, "I'll ruin you for this Strife."

"Not where you're going you won't. Thanks for putting on that little show in front of so many witnesses by the way, it'll be a big help during your trial."

"I have friends in more places than you can imagine, I'll be let off before you have time to put together a case against me."

Scowling, Cloud heaved the larger man to his feet, wincing as he had to keep the unbalanced injured man from falling over, "About that. You'll be seeing those friends of yours real soon. Who knows? Maybe you'll be cell mates." Glancing over toward the door, his scowl morphed into a concerned frown as he caught sight of Axel and his brother, "Is Roxas okay?"

"I'm fine!" Angrily pushing his protector off, Roxas pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, "And I would've been better if this moron hadn't jumped me!"

Sitting up, Axel glared right back at the small blonde, "Right, so next time I'll just let him shoot you. Does that sound better?"

"I didn't even have a chance to fire back!"

"Well _excuse me_ for worrying! Just because you hate me now doesn't mean my feelings for you have changed! I wasn't about to stand back and watch you get shot full of lead!"

Cloud watched as his brother's face lit up an interesting shade of pink, the young man glancing around to see if anyone was listening. The crowd that had followed them had mostly dispersed as soon as Cloud got cuffs on Fisher to call for ambulances and file reports and whatnot, and Fisher himself was only half-conscious due to shock. Nevertheless, Roxas lowered his voice to a hiss, "Don't talk about those things in public, you idiot! And by the way, we're over!"

"Yeah, I figured…"

After a short moment of tense silence, Cloud spoke up from across the room as he gave Fisher's cuffs a small tug, "Stop moping Axel and come help me haul this guy to the front. He's too big for me to move on my own."

Axel grinned weakly and pushed himself to his feet, "Well, at least I know one Strife still needs me."

"Don't push your luck Axel." Between the two of them they managed to coerce their ex-supervisor out of his office and down towards the main entrance where the ambulance would be arriving. On the way, Axel was looking so depressed that Cloud felt obligated to say something to the other, "Hey, thanks for back there."

Axel scoffed under his breath, giving Fisher an extra harsh pull as the man stumbled, "Oh yeah? For what, hiding behind you while you did all the heavy lifting?"

"No, I mean, I mean about Roxas. Thanks, for covering him." And he meant it. He knew that his brother was going to have to grow up some time and someday experience a real firefight unprotected if he wanted to stay in the law enforcement field but inside he still didn't think Roxas had been ready. At the moment, he had been a necessary participant but in a way Cloud was glad that his brother hadn't had the opportunity to fire a single shot. If by some miracle or show of skill Roxas had actually landed the shot and mortally wounded Fisher, well, he didn't want Roxas to have to experience the mental trauma of his first kill yet. Not right now when everything else was getting so screwed up. "And give him a month or two. If you're on good behavior and this whole prosecution thing works out, he might come around again."

The redhead smiled sickly as they walked into the main hall again, this time the room a flurry of chaotic activity as the staff tried to make sense of what had just happened. "I don't know about that one…I saw how he looked at me…and I guess I deserve it."

"Yeah but," Cloud couldn't believe he was about to say it but the truth was the truth, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, "he liked you a lot. And, as much as I hate to say this, and I really hate to say this, I think what the two of you were starting was, good for the both of you."

"Wow." Axel's smile had perked up a little bit again, now a shadow of his old grin, "Coming from you, that actually means a lot. Hopefully you're right. Like I said before, I don't expect you to believe me after all this but I really do care about him."

Cloud winced, "I know, and I'd really like to stop talking about it, it makes me want to vomit. Besides, I hear the ambulance coming."

"Good, because I think this guy just about to pass out on us."

* * *

Letting his body drop down onto his couch, Cloud blinked tiredly at his cell phone as it flashed up at him the coffee table. Four new messages. And he had only been in the shower for ten minutes.

He had finally crawled back to his apartment after no less than eighteen hours at the station. Everyone was in a flurry after the events that had transpired that morning. Moments after Fisher had been admitted into the hospital phones started ringing nonstop thanks to the media trying to get interviews about why the Head Detective of the Twilight Town Police Department had been seen being led in handcuffs and covered in blood into the hospital.

Of course he had locked himself up in his office. After he and Axel had reviewed the CD, which had information that Axel hadn't even known about some of the Organization members on it, Cloud had sent the man home. At this point from Cloud's perspective Axel was in an odd sort of Limbo; now that Axel had shown his true colors as an Organization member he couldn't let the redhead continue working with him but at the same time, Cloud needed him to help build a case against the higher ranking members. Thus, he had settled on sending Axel out on unpaid leave for a few weeks, or at least until the court date, during which time Axel would come into the station occasionally to help form their argument. It was weird but it would have to work.

Then again that meant that he was left with arranging everything. Within an hour of having Fisher, or Xaldin as Cloud kept reminding himself, arrested, he had contacted the D.A. to get arrest warrants issued for everyone whose name appeared on the CD. It hadn't been easy and Cloud counted himself lucky that the D.A. himself wasn't mentioned on the disk. After everything that had happened, he didn't think that there was anything that could really surprise him anymore.

Knowing that the city was going to need a really good lawyer, the next thing that Cloud did was get in touch with an old college friend. He knew that if anyone could push this case through the courts it was her but as of yet he hadn't been able to get a hold of her personally. Hopefully she would get one of the five messages he had left on her answer machine and get back to him soon.

The thought of messages brought him back to reality and he tiredly picked his phone off of the table. Bringing up his voicemail, he set the phone on speaker and leaned back into his couch to listen.

"_First message_." Cloud frowned as a man's voice sounded through the lines. He recognized him; in fact, it was one of the men who had been there that morning when he had confronted Fisher, a beat cop who had the late morning shift. "_Detective Strife, this is Officer Henderson. I apologize for calling your personal phone but it's rather urgent. I know you've been, well, avoiding it but the Chief says that if you don't show up in his office first thing tomorrow morning he's going to take away your badge. I…just thought I'd give you a heads up that it would probably be a good idea to talk to him about what happened. See you tomorrow at the station._"

He was a good guy, and an even better one in Cloud's eyes thanks to the warning. That meeting with the Chief was not going to be a fun one though; Cloud had a lot of explaining to do. In the last twenty-four hours he was pretty sure that he had violated protocol about thirty times, and that was overlooking some of the more minor stuff. Heaving a sigh, Cloud deleted the message. There was no way he'd forget about that; he was dreading it too much.

"_Next message_." Hoping for some better news, Cloud's face brightened as a more familiar voice came on. "_Hey Cloudy! It's Tifa! I just got your messages, all five of them! You must really be desperate, huh? Anyway, it sounds like you got quite a case on your hands. Taking on the Organization by yourself is pretty gutsy, but I should have expected that from you. If you think that you have enough evidence to put some of those guys away then I am definitely up for the challenge! But you're going to have to tell me everything, and I mean everything about what happened. If I sign on to represent you, you're going to have to take me on as a full partner. You can't be all secretive like you were in college! At any rate, my schedule's pretty busy this week, but next week is pretty free so I can fly in from Midgar and you can tell me all of the juicy little details. Call me back from this number, it's my personal cell, and we can work out an exact date that we both have a few free hours. Despite the circumstances, it was good to hear from you again! Talk to you soon!_"

Cloud couldn't help but smile as the message ended. Tifa had been one of his closest friends throughout his four years of college and despite her looks and young age she had become a very capable and formidable lawyer. More importantly, she wasn't intimidated by anyone, inside or outside the courthouse, so she was perfect to be the lead prosecutor in their case against the Organization.

The next message that came recaptured his interest; "_Hey, it's Axel. Just wanted to call and see how everything was going. Ha, you're right about the being stuck at home thing by the way, it kinda gets to you after a while when you know there's work to be done. Just wanted to let you know that you're already causing a pretty big stir in the underground. I've gotten calls and emails from like eighty different people, I kid you not, all asking me what the hell is going on. Apparently the arrest warrants were all served out, by the way they told it you sent Twilight Town PD up there to bring the baddies in? Probably a good decision, the local Dark City cops might've let them off…Anyway, call me when you get the chance and let me know what's going on, will you? I'm really fricking bored._"

It sounded like Axel was going through his own personal hell. Trying to imagine the redhead stuck out in all alone in his little farm house in the country almost made Cloud laugh. He deserved it.

Cloud was probably going to have to call him soon though to figure out what sort of plan he was going to bring to the table when he met up with Tifa. Ugh…he still had so much work to do…

"_Cloud_!" Ah, the next message must be from Roxas. He didn't know who else yelled at him like that and his brother's personal brand of rage was hard to miss. Roxas had stayed with him all day and had still been working when Cloud said he needed to go home for a few hours. The smaller man was still overflowing with righteous fury, although Cloud had a suspicion that he was just acting up in order to keep other emotions down. He often did the same; if you drowned yourself in work and repressed unwanted emotions, you wouldn't have to deal with what you were really feeling. Maybe it was a genetic trait.

"_You'd better get back here soon! Ever since you left, some news station has been calling your office every fifteen minutes! I answered the first call because I thought it might actually be important and it sounds like they want an interview. I told them that you couldn't discuss open cases but they just won't let up! Also, I just got a confirmation call that all of your suspects have been brought to the city jail but that they will only be able to hold them for twenty-four hours because they've all already lawyered up. You need to release some of your evidence so that they can be held longer or else they'll slip out and we'll all be screwed. Last thing, I've been in contact with the courthouse to try and set up a trial date. They haven't gotten back to me yet but they said that three weeks from now looks good. Apparently for a case this big they said they needed some time to increase security or some crap. So get in your nap or whatever and then get your ass back here!_"

Cloud blinked as the message suddenly cut off then reached up to try and soothe away some of the pressure that was building up behind his eyes. He didn't expect that Roxas was going to give him a very warm welcome when he finally did get back. Maybe he should stop by the fast food place and pick something up for them on his way back as a peace offering. He couldn't even remember the last time they had eaten…his stomach growled noisily as if in agreement and Cloud shook his head. So much for having time for a nap…

After all the messages though there was one thing he knew that he needed to do. Picking up his cell phone off of the table, Cloud quickly flipped through his contacts and dialed a number before glancing up at the clock. It was 2:06 a.m…That's right, normal people would usually be sleeping right now. Oh well, the phone was already ringing, he might as well stay on the line.

"_Mnph, hello?_"

The corner of Cloud's mouth twitched up into a small smile, "Sorry about the late, or early, call. I forgot that not everyone works on my insane schedule."

"_Cloud?_" There was a soft rustling and Cloud could imagine Leon pulling himself out from underneath his covers to sit up. His voice was a little clearer now but still filled with a heaviness brought from sleep, "_What is it?_"

"I just wanted to let you know that I've had everyone on the disk you gave me arrested and flushed out the informant in our department." Cloud heard a small noise of surprise escape the SeeD but continued, "I don't know what that means to you, whether things will still be dangerous for you for a while or what, but I've hired a lawyer and I'll want to have all of you come speak with her at some point so she can learn your side of the story."

"_Why?_"

"Because you three were the source of the most damning evidence so that means that you'll be expected to testify at the trial. I thought that'd be obvious. Just because you cut a deal doesn't mean that you can clean your hands of all of this quite yet."

"_Mn, fine…When do you want us to come in?_"

"Some time next week. I'll call you when I get more details but I thought that all three of you might want a chance to start pulling together a story."

Even though he couldn't see the other man, Cloud could still hear the small grin spread across his face, "_I thought we were supposed to tell the truth in court_?"

"Yeah, well…" Cloud paused for a moment, "I guess if I've learned anything over the last few weeks is that 'truth' is a very tenuous, subjective thing."

"_Hm, I like the sound of that. Alright…By the way,_" Leon's voice had softened a bit, "_Was it Axel? The informant?_"

"No." Heaving a sigh, Cloud closed his eyes, "It was my supervisor. Axel was working for them though…"

"_What'd you do?_"

"I put him on leave until we get this whole thing sorted out. He's promised to testify against the others and I figured since I stooped so low as to offer you guys a deal, offering my partner one wouldn't be too out of line. Hopefully they'll let him stay on the force…"

"…_How are you holding up_?"

Cloud smirked, "What, concerned about me? I'll be fine; I'll take care of myself, the only person you should be worried about is you. You're going to need to have your head about you in the next few weeks. I know you're used to the battlefield, but the legal system is a whole other type of war zone, and you all are going to have to be ready for it. This is going to tear the whole city up."


	20. Chapter 20

Holy cow, this is the longest chapter EVER! I just couldn't find a place to cut it and, figuring that it was one of the last chapters of the story, decided to just let it go and see where it ended up. So, ya…enjoy? Read one half now and the last half later if you must! XD Just to let you all know, I have no experience with courtrooms, so if I messed anything up just consider the difference is because this takes place in a Twilight Town courthouse so the rules might be different…yeah… ^^;

Humungous thanks go out to: ChaosGarden, Cracked Plastic Crown, Clockwork Phoenix, xHanako, TMX Archives, rainingcolors, ooXloveXoo582, chibi heishi, dumdam, becauseimthefavorite, Nekotsubasa, Love-in-the-Stars, RealityInABottle, SUFFERINGLOSTSOUL, BlackCatHikari, Jellicle-Wishes, CloudedMirror89, Shinimegami7, xacilia, Aindel S. Druida, Vedensolina, MadeInHolland, MadeInHolland, MadeInHolland, Dragi, doomshuriken, nearcreature, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, Trempush, ramen-is-my-goddess, Bane-Dane, , and Becca86!! You guys are the awseomest! :D

O

* * *

Chapter 20

* * *

The week passed in bursts and stalls for Squall. He and Sora had tentatively moved back to their own home the same day that Cloud woke him up with the early morning phone call. Zexion, Demyx, and Riku had moved out of Xigbar's house that day as well, finally letting the strange man have his home back to himself. Squall had figured that the Organization would be in too much of an upheaval to worry too much about hunting them down now that Cloud had apparently placed their most notorious members under arrest.

Even so, Squall had still been hesitant to return; he wasn't sure if the Organization knew where he lived and didn't want them to find out. A thorough search of their home though had finally convinced him that there was no one laying in ambush and, for the moment, that was good enough for him. The instant that he stepped inside, he realized how good it was to be home again. Sora seemed to be relieved to be back as well, and after everything that happened Squall definitely didn't blame him.

Returning to anything resembling a normal schedule was a very odd sensation. After taking about a week off of school, Sora found a pile of homework waiting for him when he got back, although Squall made sure to inform the school that his absence had been due to a family emergency. He had needed to come up with some excuse; otherwise Sora would've been in danger of having to repeat yet another year. It was mostly true anyway. As for himself, he was going to work. Not for Zexion, but his new job, with Cid. And it was definitely a strange wake-up call.

He had rode his motorbike into the town center after dropping Sora off at his high school Monday morning and had then driven directly to Cid's shop. After all, he had told the man he would be back in a week and it had been about a week. Luckily he had been able to keep his promise…Parking just outside a side-door, Squall peeked his head in, finding himself looking into the darkened back room, "Cid? Are you in?"

"Wha-? Who's there?"

Squall couldn't help but grin as the scruffy blonde man stumbled out from the front of the store. He looked like he had just barely woken up and crawled out of bed, though he already had a cigarette hanging out between his lips. That seemed about right for the man, "It's Squall Leonhart, I saw you last week about a job?"

"Aw right, the SeeD. Ya here to work?"

"That's right, Sir."

"Just call me Cid, kid…and, well get yer ass in here and I'll find something for you to do."

Obediently moving all the way into the room, he paused as he began to close the door behind him. He really didn't want to do this but Cid was going to figure it out eventually as his employer, even though he had only been his employer for a few days. "Cid, there's something that I should probably tell you."

Glancing back at him, Cid raised a brow, "Yeah, what's that?"

"I really appreciate the chance that you're giving me, and I don't want to ruin my chances of actually working a real job but…I want you to find out about this from me before you learn about it on the news or something."

Seeing the seriousness in Squall's eyes, Cid scowled before leaning back on a workbench. Pulling his cigarette out of his mouth, he flicked off some of the ash, "If you've got something to say, spit it out, kid."

Squall ran his fingers through his hair. It'd probably be best not to beat around the bush, "I haven't exactly had, respectable jobs in the past and, to make a very long story short, I'm going to be a, witness in an important trial coming up, so I might have to take some time off already."

"Trial? Do ya mean that big one in Twilight Town?"

Starting, Squall's eyes widened a bit, "How did you know?"

Cid gave him a smug grin before he straightened up and walked across the room to where a beaten-up motor was sitting up on a pair of cinder-blocks. Bending down, the older man grabbed a piece of newspaper that had been laid out underneath it and, after shaking off some engine oil, held it up so that Squall could see. It was the front page of Traverse Town's local paper, a single headline stretching all the way across the top: _Twilight Town PD takes down major crime organization!_

Accepting the page from his boss, Squall narrowed his eyes as he quickly skimmed the story. The paper was a few days old but it seemed to have a lot of the details already written down; most of it was dedicated to recounting how some TTPD personnel had also been arrested in connection to the case. There was even a picture showing the Police Chief, according to the caption, giving a press conference. A small smirk stole its way across Squall's lips as he caught sight of Cloud standing in the background along with a few other policemen, looking very solemn in his suit, his badge hanging clearly from his jacket pocket. The article itself didn't actually mention Cloud too much, although it did say that Detective Strife had been in charge of the investigation that led to the breakthrough discovery of the informants in their department. Typical of the press to emphasize the wrong parts of the actual events…

As he handed the paper back Squall sighed. He didn't know why he was surprised to see it in the papers but it felt weird after having partially lived through it. "Like I was saying, I'm wrapped up in all that so I'll have to take off a few days."

He felt Cid's eyes boring into him as the man re-evaluated the soldier, "You're not a part of that Organization thing, are ya?"

"No. I'm," Squall thought for a minute, trying to find the right words. He never was particularly eloquent, "I am, was, more of a, private contractor."

"That's fine then, do what you need to do."

Squall's head snapped up in surprise, "You're okay with that?" He had just admitted to participating in criminal activity, and Cid was just waving it off?

"If you'd been with them Organization freaks, that'd be another thing, but you seem ta have a good head on your shoulders so who'm I to care what you did? Besides, I'm planning on paying you by the hour, so whenever you come in or don't come in's up to you. An extra hand would be nice around here, but I got on fine by myself and I don't expect that'll change much."

Squall was sure it wouldn't; the man standing in front of him seemed much too capable, and too stubborn, to ever admit to not being able to run his store by himself. "I suppose then that this would be a good time to mention that I'm still technically on active duty in SeeD and eventually I'm going to have to go back to finish up the last five months of my contract."

It took a few moments but after Squall's words soaked in, Cid's face dropped into a scowl, "What'cha getting a job for then if ya can't keep it for more than a few days?!" Snorting, the man shook his head, "Should'a figured this assistant thing would be more trouble than it's worth…But like I said, do whatever the hell you need to do. If SeeD wants you back, you don't have to worry, there'll still be a job here for ya when you get back."

Once again surprised, but very relieved, Squall nodded again, "Thank you, thank you very much. It'll be…a weight off of my mind to know that."

"What, you really think I wouldn't take ya back? Just give me a head's up when you're leaving town so I know not to try and call you or somethin'. Believe me, I know how goddamn annoying the military can be sometimes, I won't hold it against you. But what I will hold against you is if you don't get yer ass in gear and start working! Come on, I'll show you the ropes."

Squall had spent the rest of the day earning his pay. Although Cid's shop was mostly a pawn shop, the man also ran a sort of garage or workshop out of the back of the building and Squall had spent hours hauling heavy machinery around, picking up parts from around town, and then delivering orders. By the time he got back home, he was surprisingly worn down. He had thought that after doing all that thieving this new job would be a walk in the park, but he had been wrong. Then again, though the work may have been less intensive, the 9 to 5 workday was longer than what he had grown accustomed to.

He and Sora had almost managed to get back into a natural rhythm when the end of the week finally rolled around and it was time to visit Cloud. A few days ago, the detective had left a message on his phone about the time and place they were all going to meet the lawyer he had hired. Instead of meeting at the police station, they were apparently going to meet up in a restaurant; Cloud had said something about it being "her idea".

The end of that week was a harsh slap of reality though, the force of which didn't quite hit Squall until Saturday morning when he opened his front door and found Riku on his doorstep.

The silver-haired man smirked at his shocked expression, "What's up Leon? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

His grin didn't falter, "What the hell do you think? I'm here to catch a ride to the train station, Zexion said that he'll meet us there."

Looking back inside his house, Squall caught sight of the clock on the wall. It was only 8:30am. "We're not supposed to get there until ten."

"Yeah, well, I thought I'd drop by early. Those pajama pants are adorable by the way, I like the blue stripes."

Squall glared at the hit-man. He wasn't dressed yet, so what? He had been in the middle of making breakfast when Riku had interrupted what was supposed to be a relatively relaxing morning, bringing the reality of the world with him. That's right; Squall was not in fact an ordinary guy working for a crotchety shop-keep but was in fact a criminal awaiting his chance to testify in court in order to receive his pardon from prison…Damn it. "Whatever. Just get out of he—"

"—Riku!"

Resisting the urge to slam his head into the front door, Squall pursed his lips as Sora poked his head out of the kitchen, probably to find out what was taking so long. However, the younger Leonhart's attention had been caught in an instant and he ran over to stand beside his brother, "What are you doing here?"

Riku smiled back at Sora's bright face, "Just stopped by to see if Leon here could give me a lift. It looks like I stopped by too early though, so I guess I'll just have to come back later…" By the way the man's voice trailed off, Squall knew that he was waiting for Sora to protest. Unfortunately, Squall knew that Riku wouldn't be disappointed. His little brother had clearly developed some sort of sick, disturbing, fondness for the assassin, probably because he didn't know how psychotic Riku could actually be.

"No way! You can just hang out until it's time to go, right Squall? Hey, have you eaten yet? Do you want to have breakfast with us?"

Squall rolled his eyes. "Sora, I'm sure Riku has something that he could do somewhere else—"

"—Actually," Riku interrupted, an evil glint flashing through his eyes, "that sounds really nice. How about it, Leon? Can I stay?"

Damn him. One glance down at Sora and Squall knew all of his objections would immediately fall apart. He could practically feel the puppy-eyed look his brother was giving him. No matter how old he got, he would probably never be immune to that look; he was falling for it now as easily as he did when he was sixteen years old and Sora was five. "Fine. Riku can stay for breakfast, but that's it."

Smiling his thanks, Sora hurried back into the kitchen, undoubtedly to put out another plate at the table. With a smirk, Riku stepped into the house and closed the door behind him, "Cute kid. I have to say, he works the pajama pants better than you."

That was it. Grabbing onto the other man's shirt, Squall lowered his voice to a whisper as his eyes narrowed dangerously, "If you make a pass at my brother, I will snap your neck. Got it?"

Brushing Squall's hands off, Riku's grin finally fell away, lowering his voice as well, "I told you before Leon; don't threaten me. Besides," the tension lifted somewhat as Riku walked passed him towards the food, "I like Sora, I'm not trying to get into his pants. Yet." That bastard! Squall didn't care what had happened over the last few months, Riku would get to his little brother only over his cold, dead body.

Before Squall could reply, Riku had made it into the kitchen and Sora cheerily rejoined the conversation, effectively stopping their argument. With Riku there, breakfast was a little more animated than usual. Although Riku did behave himself like a sane, respectable adult, he and Sora just kept talking. Well, it was mostly Sora talking to Riku, but every single minute grated on Squall's nerves as he sat brooding at the end of the table. They were acting like they were friends or something when Sora shouldn't even be associating himself with someone like that. Not that he was really one to talk, but still.

He hustled Riku out the door as soon as he could manage, spending only five minutes getting himself dressed and ready to go so as to minimize the time Riku and Sora spent together without his supervision. Telling Sora to call if he decided to go anywhere while his was gone, Squall locked the door and led Riku around to the side to where his motorcycle was waiting for them. Picking up his helmet, he actually thought about it for a minute before pulling it on. Usually he gave his helmet to his passengers but this was Riku. If the guy wanted to be protected in case they crashed, he should've brought his own helmet.

Knowing the drill, Riku got on behind Squall as he revved the engine to life. "You know, I think this is the longest I've gone without shooting somebody in years…"

Squall glanced back over his shoulder as he pulled out of the alleyway and onto the street, barely able to hear the other over the sound of the engine, "It's only been ten days."

"I know."

"…You've got some serious problems."

Riku smirked, "Tell me about it. It's the only thing I know how to do; this straight-laced thing is a headache."

Squall wasn't surprised. He couldn't even imagine Riku doing anything else besides robbing and killing people. Nothing else seemed to fit the other man as well. Even thinking of him in the military as a sniper or something…just didn't feel right. What was more surprising was that Riku seemed to have actually stayed away from illegal activities since their last job together. He didn't think the hit-man had any other side job like he and Zexion did so Squall had no idea how the man was earning an income. Then again, Riku might have a job for all Squall knew. He had no idea about the silver-haired man's life outside of the criminal scene. Riku could've been using some of the money they had scored from the Organization but even that wouldn't last him very long.

Deciding that it wasn't worth the time it took to think about it, Squall returned his focus to driving them to the train station. Having lived in Traverse Town for his whole life, he could probably drive the roads blindfolded but it was probably still a good idea to pay attention.

Just like Riku had promised, Zexion was waiting for them at the train station, the man looking rather sharp in a button-up long sleeved shirt and slacks, despite the crutches and the cast still around his right leg. Glancing down at his own boots, jeans, and leather jacket, Squall raised a brow as they boarded a train to Twilight Town, "I didn't know we were supposed to dress up for this?"

Gratefully taking a seat, Zexion shrugged, "My attire has little to do with our meeting with the detectives and their lawyer. I have to go into work for a few hours after we get back and this is what is appropriate at the office."

Riku took a seat on the other side of Zexion, "It's strange; it's been a while since I've seen you. How's your leg?"

"Still sore, but that is to be expected I suppose. I broke it just about a week and a half ago after all…"

"Are you still all drugged up?"

Zexion turned to shot Riku an icy glare. "Demyx has been slowly reducing the amount of pain killers I am taking each day to something resembling a reasonable level…."

"Good, because we're going to need you to be sharp for this."

"Believe me, if something goes wrong during our little interview, it will be no fault of mine."

Leaning back in his own seat, Squall crossed his arms over his chest and listened to their bickering. It seemed like whether or not the two were on a job or not, they both loved to talk back to the other. He wasn't sure whether that meant that they couldn't stand each other and so started an argument or if it meant that they actually liked each other and that this was just how they interacted. Squall thought it might be the latter, just because he had seen them working together and had seen Riku's reaction to Zexion's injury.

Looking across the aisle, he saw a man with his face hidden behind the pages of a newspaper. He wasn't suspicious of the man, he was just some old businessman, but what did catch his attention was the news story on the front. It was another front page exposé on the Organization that read: _Tempers flare as debates of Org. guilt continue!_ The trial hadn't even started yet and people were already starting to fight over the possible outcomes? Cloud hadn't been kidding when he said that this was going to tear the city up…

The train ride was the same as usual, although all of them were complaining about it as they stepped off onto the platform at Twilight Town. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Riku frowned up at the pale sun, the coming winter making it so its rays weren't quite as strong as they should be, "I still don't see why we have to come all the way out here every time the TTPD wants to have a chat. Can't they come to us?"

Squall nodded. Twilight Town was a nice place, but he had been seeing too much of it recently, "They could at least meet us somewhere half-way." There were plenty of smaller towns in between the two with restaurants that they could've gone to.

Joining them as they began to make their way towards their designated meeting place, Zexion raised a brow, "Perhaps they felt as if they needed the benefit of the home field. Either that or they feel confident enough in their hold over us to be able to order us around, a much less acceptable interpretation."

Squall agreed, though he thought it was just more Cloud setting up what was more convenient for himself rather than thinking about manipulating his witnesses. He didn't seem the type to do that sort of thing, although Squall had been wrong about him before.

They had all seen the restaurant they were scheduled to meet at before during their multiple trips into Twilight Town. It looked rather nice and was located a block down from the police station, City Hall only three lots down, so it probably was a place where a lot of Twilight Town's politicians went for lunch. Stepping inside, Squall immediately felt out of place.

The restaurant was arranged by lots of booths and tables made of dark woods and leather, and he knew now why Cloud had chosen this place. Even with a group as large as theirs, they would be able to talk and no one would really be able to overhear what they were saying thanks to the floor design. However, nearly all of the tables were already filled with men dressed in suits and ties and women wearing silk blouses and pencil skirts, making Squall feel like he was a bum that just walked in off of the street in his scuffed up jeans and worn leather jacket. By the look the hostess was giving him, she had the same impression. "Can I help you?"

Hobbling forward, Zexion immediately stepped in, looking almost presentable in his work clothes, "We were supposed to meet someone here; a Detective Strife?"

The woman blinked in surprise before giving a tight nod, "Right this way then."

Glancing back at Riku, Squall was a little comforted by the fact that the other man was also in street clothes and was looking completely at ease with the situation. Trying to relax himself, he followed the hostess as she led them back into the restaurant and through a few different rooms until he finally spotted a familiar blonde head of hair. As they drew closer, Squall realized that there was a rather pretty woman sitting beside Cloud at a large circular table tucked into a back corner, papers already strewn across the tabletop. That must be their lawyer then. Pushing down a small surge of jealousy at the way they were leaning close together, Squall put on a stoic face as the three felons took a seat at the table.

Cloud and the woman had both looked up when the hostess walked over and now the woman was eyeing them warily as the detective straightened up. Waving to her, he looked at each of them in turn, "This is Tifa Lockhart. She's the lawyer who is going to be trying our case for us. I've known her since college and she'll do a good job for us as long as everyone cooperates. Tifa, this is Ienzo "Zexion" Corazza, Squall "Leon" Leonhart, and Riku," As he said their names, he pointed to each of them.

The lawyer, Tifa, smirked as he got to Riku, brushing a strand of her long dark hair behind her ear, "What, no real name for you?"

A small sigh escaped Cloud as Riku smirked back at her, "They've all been…difficult, to say the least. You should be happy with the information we have on them."

"I wouldn't be doing my job if I was. Now, there's supposed to be one more coming today, right?"

"Yeah, Axel is supposed to come in too." Checking his watch, Cloud frowned, "He should be here soon…ah, speak of the devil…"

As Cloud's gaze locked on something behind him, Squall turned in his seat to see the redheaded detective making his way through the restaurant, devoid of any guide and conspicuously dressed in black jeans, a t-shirt, and a beat-up black leather jacket. It was then that Squall realized that he had never seen either Axel or Cloud off duty before or in casual wear. He couldn't even imagine Cloud in jeans; the blonde man was always wearing a suit.

Tifa nodded to him as he took his seat, "Since we're all here now, I guess I can go ahead and start." Gathering together a stack of papers, she skimmed the first page before looking up again, "Basically, as Cloudy here has explained it to me, you four are our top witnesses for our case." Squall caught the small blush that spread across Cloud's face at the nickname and stifled a grin. This was the first time he had seen the other man embarrassed. "So let's get down to business. Tell me everything that happened from your own point of view. In brief of course, otherwise we'd be here all day, and Cloud already gave me a detailed report."

Squall and Riku both looked to Zexion who, after a moment, caught on and gently cleared his throat, "I will speak for all three of us." They had spent a day or two trying to come up with a good cover story but in the end Squall and Riku had quickly gotten fed up with it and said that Zexion could say whatever the hell he wanted. "I suppose the main reason that we are testifying is that we were the ones to provide the data set concerning the Organization's illegal activities to the police. In short, we came into possession of the disk through a series of hand-offs through the black market. I will not be so foolish as to pretend that the three of us have not participated in illegal activities ourselves, so any of us will be fine admitting to that."

Tifa looked up at him, her pen stilling from where it had been busily jotting down notes, "So basically, you're saying that someone sold you the information?"

"Correct."

"Who was it?"

"I am not at liberty to say; even if I was, I would not be able to provide you with a specific name or description. That is the nature of the black market, I am afraid."

By the look on her face, Tifa didn't seem to be completely buying their story. Cloud and Axel looked equally dubious but, to Squall's surprise, not one of them raised their voice in protest. Looking down at what she had written, Tifa nodded to herself, "So, why did you purchase the information?"

Zexion pursed his lips, "Because we do not work for the Organization and they were beginning to grow antagonistic toward us. It was an act of self-defense, as it were. Unlike many people's perceptions, not everyone who works against the law works together. Having the Organization dismantled works just as much in our favor as it does for the police."

"Alright, I can probably work with that…" The comment was made more towards herself than anyone else at the table, Squall watching curiously as she scribbled a few more things down before turning her attention back towards the table as a whole, "Now, as your lawyer, I need you to tell me everything about yourselves so that nothing the defense says comes as a surprise. I'll bet everything that they're going to attack your character in court so I need to know all of your dirt so that I can come up with a proper retort beforehand. We'll start with you." Pulling a pen out of her purse, Tifa jabbed it in Zexion's direction, "Go."

Shifting in seat, Zexion narrowed his eyes, "This is rather unorthodox for a lawyer, and I do not feel comfortable with the implications—"

He was cut off by Cloud, the blonde detective narrowing his eyes, "Look, just do what she says. The more you say, the better your chances are of this working out. Besides, this isn't being taped, nothing that you say here can be used against you. Unfortunately."

Zexion glared lightly at him before taking a small breath, "Very well…I do not particularly have anything that another attorney could attack as far as character is concerned besides my criminal occupation."

"Just tell me about yourself then, I need to know you as a person."

It looked like Zexion was having teeth pulled. Squall knew that the man was very secretive by nature, so this had to be rough for the guy. Nonetheless, Squall was paying full attention. Maybe he would learn something new about his accomplice himself. "Fine. I am twenty-seven years old, was born in Dark City, and have a Master's degree in Computer Science from Dark City University. I have been participating in illegal activity from a very young age and that continued into my adulthood. I have an actual job in Traverse Town with the city helping the unemployed find work and live with my partner in an apartment in the same city. That is all that there is to say."

Tifa sighed, "Well, you didn't say too much. But I guess its good enough for now." Squall was a little shocked himself. He didn't realize that Zexion was so highly educated; it sounded like the shorter man had actually gone through graduate school. Someone with that sort of education could be doing a lot more with his life than what Zexion had chosen.

"Anyway, let's move onto you." Squall blinked as Tifa motioned with her pen that it was his turn, "From the paperwork Cloud gave me, it said that you were involved with the SeeD. Tell me a little about that. Juries love uniforms so maybe you could wear yours to the trial."

"Um, alright." He would probably need to get it dry cleaned before then… "I joined SeeD to help pay for some, living costs. But I had to leave after my parents got into a fatal car accident so that I could take care of my younger brother, so I deserted."

Tifa winced, "Oo, let's skip the uniform then. We'll try to keep that can of worms closed. But you said that you deserted in order to take care of your younger brother?"

"That's right." Squall crossed his arms as he looked at Tifa, trying to ignore the feeling of Cloud's eyes on him. He was also uncomfortable with spilling out his whole life to this woman who he'd never met before but knew that Cloud had been right in what he had said to Zexion. The details might matter, and if Tifa was going to be defending his side of the case in the courtroom, he wanted to show her all his cards. Well, most of his cards. "My brother, Sora, he's under-aged and would have been put into foster care if I hadn't come back. And when I got back I joined up with Zexion and Riku because I needed a job and no one else had any available."

"Why did you need a job so badly?"

"My brother has," Squall paused, trying to remember the exact name, "he has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He was diagnosed about two years ago. He needs a lot of medical care, which costs money. Then there were the bills to pay and everything else."

Writing down a few sentences, Tifa looked up at him curiously, "How old are you, Leon?"

"Twenty-six."

"Wow, pretty young still, huh? Alright…" She fell silent for a second and Squall waited patiently; she looked like she was thinking pretty hard about something. "Hm…it's too bad about the uniform, you would've looked really handsome." Squall closed his eyes and rested his face in his hand as Riku laughed beside him.

Riku's chuckled subsided as Tifa turned her piercing gaze to him, "I don't know what's so funny, its your turn next. In fact, you're the person I have the least information about, Riku. How about telling me a little about yourself."

Now properly sobered up, Riku leaned forward in his seat, a frown crossing his pale face, "Like what?"

"Like anything? Real name, age, interests, hobbies? Cloud literally gave me a sentence of background information on you. It said, and I quote, '_Riku is clearly a professional gunman who seems to take pleasure in toying with others; he is a stubborn, prideful man and should not be taken lightly.'_ That's all I got."

Riku smirked, "Aw, Cloud wrote that? I'm touched." Tifa didn't seem to be buying his expression though and his smile fell away, "I don't see why you need to know. If these guys haven't figured it out, the defense shouldn't be able to."

"Humor me. Pretend like the Organization has boundless resources and connections and are by some miracle able to pull up something about your background and deliver it to their lawyers to use against you in court."

Everyone sitting at the table knew that Tifa wasn't being unrealistic; the Organization could very well do something like that. Even Riku seemed to realize this as his face fell and he let out a breath of air, "Fine…let's see, in order, my name really is Riku…last name, doesn't really matter."

"Sure it does."

"Nah, it really doesn't." Riku smiled dryly, although there was a spark of pride in his eyes before he leaned forward and they disappeared behind his silver bangs, "I've been through the witness protection program, let's see…four times now? For making deals with the local police. Each time I've convinced them to destroy all of my records, so every time I get to start out new. Right now, my name is technically 'Riku Shima', but it's only been that for about…six months now, I guess. What was next? Oh yeah, I'm twenty-two years old, my interests and hobbies are money and shooting people. Pretty straight forward."

To Squall, there was nothing straight forward about it. Riku was only twenty-two? He never would have guessed that the hit-man was so young. And he wasn't the only one who was surprised, Cloud leaning forward, his face shocked and blurting out exactly what Squall was thinking, "There's no way you're twenty-two! Roxas is twenty-two!"

"I can assure you," Zexion's calm voice cut through Cloud's surprise, "that Riku is indeed twenty-two years old. I met him once when he was younger…he was probably only sixteen at the time. Now, I do believe that is enough about us, Ms. Lockhart, so if you would please continue? There is undoubtedly more to be discussed today than our personal histories."

She narrowed her eyes before nodding, "You're right and, while none of you are off the hook yet, I'll move on for now. But you'd better do better under pressure on the witness stand than you did at this table!" From there, Tifa turned her attention onto the rest of their case, trying to develop a cohesive series of events that enveloped Cloud's entire investigation, Zexion, Squall, and Riku making inputs only when they thought it was necessary, which was quite often as Cloud tried to save face. Once she had gotten everything as straightened out as she thought possible, Tifa turned her eyes onto Axel and for the next half hour they listened as she interrogated him about every aspect of his involvement with the Organization. She was so relentless that Squall was definitely glad that he wasn't in Axel's shoes; every detail the redhead gave as an attempt to appease her only strengthening her resolve to get even more information out of him. Meanwhile, the rest of them had ordered lunch and watched the theatrics unfold. Even Cloud looked mildly amused at his partner's discomfort. Then again, maybe they still weren't on the best terms.

After Tifa had wrung every bit of information that she could out of everyone, she gave a loud sigh and slumped back in her chair, "Well I'll tell you what Cloud, you've sure got some case on your hands. I'll see what I can do to pull this out for you but it's not going to be easy. As for you guys," She motioned to the rest of the table members in general, "I expect the rest of you to show up at the courthouse bright and early the Tuesday after next. And for goodness sake, wear something respectable, suits and ties, please." Riku snorted, clearly not okay with that idea, but she continued on undaunted, "Now that I've got this stuff sorted out, how about you take me back to your office and let me take a look at that CD you keep going on about Cloud?"

The detective nodded, "Sure. I guess you all are free to go. Just, like Tifa said, show up on Tuesday morning. If you think you need an escort to get passed any protestors, call the station the night beforehand so we can arrange for a car to come pick you up."

Axel frowned at the dismal, "Hey, let me tag along with you guys. I can help setting up an argument or something."

"Sorry Ax, you know that can't happen. You're not allowed back in the station until all of this is settled."

The redhead nodded slowly, "Yeah…never hurts to try though, does it?"

Cloud's eyes were on the other detective as Axel pushed his chair out and headed dejectedly for the front of the restaurant, only looking away once the other had disappeared from sight. He was pretty bothered by all of this then. Squall had been pretty sure that was the case since he had seen how close they were on the job.

Zexion and Riku were apparently eager to get home as they followed Axel's example and stood, Squall following suit as Tifa put all her paperwork away in a small briefcase. She and Cloud rose to their feet too before she waved her hand, "After you gentlemen…"

Rolling his eyes, Riku took the lead, making sure to give the hostess a cheeky wave before stepping out onto the sidewalk. Glancing back inside as Zexion limped out, Riku smirked back at Cloud and Tifa, "You two might want to see if there's a back door or something."

"Why's that?" Pushing his way passed Squall who had made it to the threshold of the door, Cloud peered over the SeeD's shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he looked down the street. Outside of City Hall a few buildings down a large group of people was protesting. They had picket signs and everything, yelling out unintelligible chants towards the municipal structure. Squall looked back over his shoulder as Cloud let out a small huff, the warm air brushing up against the back of his neck, "Not this again."

"What is it?"

As if realizing how close he was standing, Cloud leaned back, ignoring the look the hostess was giving them for blocking the doorway, "They're protesting about the case. For whatever reason they think that we're going to let the Organization off without any sort of punishment, as if that's something that would be our fault. It's up to the jury after all…They're still better than the protestors who think its some sort of violation of the members' basic human rights not to provide bail, which is bullshit. Thanks to their money and lawyers, they might as well be in hotels instead of jail. Not to mention the moment we set bail, they'd probably take off to another country. Both groups are getting rowdier every day."

Riku winked as he took a few more steps out, "Then if I were you, I wouldn't let them see my face. They'd probably start throwing stones or something."

Tifa's eyes brightened, "I'd like to see them try! I'd have them all in prison before they knew what hit them."

Shaking his head, a small grin made its way onto Cloud's lips, "And as much as I believe that, I at least, should probably find another way out of here."

Looking back at the mob, Squall frowned. Their attention was firmly directed on City Hall but there were so many people gathered that the chances that one of them was going to look over and see the blonde detective was pretty high. But it seemed stupid for Cloud to have to try and escape through some sort of employee's exit. "Just walk beside me and they won't notice you."

Cloud eyed him incredulously, "I don't think that will work."

"Why not? You're shorter than me, just keep me between you and them and they won't even see you."

Seeing that this might take a while, Zexion followed Riku outside, "We will start heading for the train station then. Leon, we will see you there or, if you miss the train, we will see you later. Come on Riku, there is no need for us to waste our time waiting for them to reach a decision."

Squall frowned as they walked away but stubbornly stayed where he was while Cloud thought. The detective still didn't look completely convinced but he also looked like he didn't want to go sneaking out the back. Finally he shrugged, "Alright, but Tifa, you're my witness. If anything happens, hold Leon responsible."

She grinned, "Got it! I'll go on ahead and make sure that no one's protesting at the police station too. If you get caught by the crowd, give a shout and I'll come running back to hand out court summons!"

Waiting a moment for the dark haired woman to walk out, Squall checked once to make sure that the crowd's attention hadn't been attracted and stepped out, motioning for Cloud to follow. The officer did so tentatively, frowning at him as they began to walk up the sidewalk, "They're still going to notice. You're not that much taller than me, you know."

Cloud was right. He wasn't that much shorter than him and, moreover, he was fairly distinctive. But they had already started and at this point it would be more noticeable if they went back into the restaurant than just continued forward. "Just keep your voice down and they won't care. If you're worried about it, walk closer to me." Cloud had put about a foot of space between them which didn't exactly help Squall keep the blonde hidden.

"I'd rather they spot me than get any closer than this."

Grinning mirthlessly, Squall looked down at the detective, "Hey, we're working on the same side now."

Cloud's blue eyes flashed, "I'm still not interested."

"In what?"

"You know what."

Squall did know what, he just wanted Cloud to say it. Over the last month he had slowly begun to realize that he was, to put it bluntly, sexually attracted to the blonde. He had never been very interested in people before Cloud came along but there was just something about the other man that seemed so…compatible with whatever he was looking for. He knew that Cloud felt at least something between them, the night they had spent together proved that much. Curious, Squall took a step closer so that his arm brushed up against the detective's, watching as a shudder ran through the man before he jumped to the side as if he had been burned. "Not interested, huh?"

The blonde grit his teeth, "Shut up. My emotions have been all over the place recently, I don't need you to mess them up more."

Thankfully none of the protestors seemed to notice the movement, the two already halfway down the block. Now that he was satisfied, Squall allowed the space to remain between them as they continued to walk. From what he could tell, Cloud seemed interested, but at the same time Squall could tell that the other man was going to shut him out for a while now. Whatever he had to do was fine, Squall could wait until the man broke down.

* * *

Time passed by much too quickly for Cloud, the world going by in flashes of color and motion and before he knew it the day of the trial had arrived. He had probably gotten about eight hours of sleep total over the past week and was running on adrenaline and coffee. It was a comfort to know that many of his fellow officers were fairing similarly, including Roxas. They were all being run ragged in their efforts to keep the town from tearing itself apart and to get everything in order for the trial itself. Tifa had practically taken over Axel's old desk and might as well have not gotten a hotel room since she spent about twenty hours there, constantly reading and writing and calling people up. It was rare for him to see his friend so serious but it was refreshing to see that she had become as dedicated as he was to the case.

That Tuesday was a whirlwind of non-stop activity from the moment Cloud woke up. He had gotten three hours of sleep, practically a record for him these days. Rolling out of bed, he showered, shoveled some food into his mouth, put on his best suit, and ran out the door, just barely remembering to lock it before jumping into his car. By now his arm had healed enough to the point where it wasn't too uncomfortable to keep his arms outstretched while driving, which he was very happy about. It had been a real hassle waiting on Roxas to chauffer him around.

Pulling into the police station, he was glad to see that no protestors had come out yet. It was still early but these days you could never be sure. He had heard from one of the beat cops that people had camped out in front of the court house last night so he already knew that getting everyone into the courtroom was going to be a real pain.

Hurrying inside the station he spotted Roxas just sitting down to work at his desk, a large mug of coffee in the younger Strife's hands. "Hey Rox, anything going on yet?"

The shorter blonde looked up at him with bleary eyes. Clearly he hadn't gotten much sleep last night either. "Nah, everyone's just getting here. Tifa's back in your office though, I think she got here about ten minutes before I did. When are you guys going over to the court house?"

Cloud pulled back his sleeve to check his watch, "In about…ten minutes. Shit. Did you decide if you were coming or not?"

Roxas glanced down at his computer screen before shaking his head, "I'll stay here and let you do your thing. I don't want to deal with all of those protestors and crap." By "and crap" Cloud was pretty sure that Roxas was referring to the chance of running into Axel. His brother had been stubbornly avoiding the redhead or any mention of said redhead since the incident in Fisher's office. "I'm just gonna be glad when this is all over."

"You and me both. I'll call you during the breaks to let you know how it's going."

Not waiting for Roxas to respond, Cloud continued on into his office, giving Tifa a brief wave as he saw the woman sitting at Axel's desk, "Hey, sorry I'm late."

"No worries. Since I know when you went home last night and what ungodly hour we both had to get up at today, I brought you coffee." Looking over at his desk, Cloud hurried over and snatched up the cup waiting for him by his keyboard. Taking a sip, Cloud closed his eyes and felt the caffeine flow into him and start to work its magic. It was even the good kind of coffee, not that crappy instant stuff they had here at the station.

"You're a lifesaver Tifa."

"You know it! Anyway, we'd better start heading over there."

Seeing that she was packing up her things, Cloud reluctantly set his coffee down to see if he could help, "Do you have everything ready for today?"

"Just barely, but yes. I should be ready to handle whatever those overpaid suits try to throw at me."

"I see you dressed up for the occasion."

Cloud was being half-serious, half-sarcastic. Tifa was clearly not afraid of playing up her image, wearing a suit top with a black mini-skirt and high heels, her hair pulled up in a loose bun. She simultaneously managed to look seductive and like she could kick your ass. "Hey, I'm making use of what I have. I figure we could use every advantage we can scrape up. Now let's go. We can probably walk, it'd be too much of a hassle to try and find parking. Don't forget your coffee."

Scrambling to gather his own briefcase and his coffee, Cloud followed Tifa out amidst a hail of good wishes from the on-duty secretaries and officers. Thanks to the early hour the scene outside of the courthouse was still relatively sane and they didn't have too much trouble getting inside with the help of the security guards. As they walked through the halls towards the assigned courtroom, Cloud's eyes were distracted by a flash of red down a side hall. Telling Tifa he'd meet up with her in a bit, Cloud slipped away to investigate only to find a familiar face leaning out an opened window with a cigarette in their mouth.

Slowly walking over, Cloud leaned up against the wall, "Hey Axel…I'm surprised to see you here so early."

The redhead's green eyes flashed over to him before he smiled, exhaling a breath of smoke outside before turning to face him, "I didn't want to deal with traffic. I'm tense enough as is."

"It's good to see you in a suit again."

Axel's smile grew a bit, "It's good to be back in one. Almost like I'm back on duty."

"Today you are."

A chuckle escaped Axel as he looked back outside, "Thanks…I'll try to do the TTPD proud." Cloud nodded. He was sure that Axel was going to try his best in there today. They all were. They've worked way too hard on this to go back now. "By the way, I should probably mention, your witnesses came in a few minutes before you walked through. At first I didn't think it was them but then I heard them complaining about the train."

"What? They're here already?" Running a hand through his hair, Cloud let out a frustrated sigh, "Come on, we'd better go make sure that they're not causing any trouble."

Practically forcing Axel to put out his cigarette, Cloud dragged him back through the corridors until he found the right room. Pushing one of the double-doors open he peeked inside and saw that small groups of people were already beginning to assemble in the courtroom around the defendant's and the plaintiff's tables up in front, Tifa and three other familiar figures settled in among the latter. The jury box was still empty but the bailiff was already standing at attention, clearly ready to break up any fights that might crop up between the two main parties. As Cloud walked down the center aisle, his eyes widened a bit in shock.

Leon, Zexion, and Riku actually looked presentable. They looked, well, damn it, they looked more like movie stars than criminals. All three were wearing suits, Leon and Riku's looking suspiciously new as if they had had to buy one for the occasion. But the new wardrobe really did make a world of difference. Realizing that he was staring, Cloud quickly diverted his gaze before Leon could notice, "It looks like the three of you managed to find something decent to wear."

Riku brushed a strand of hair behind his ear, he and Leon having both chosen to leave their longer hair down for the occasion, as he smirked, "And it looks like you finally showed up. I'd expected that you would've been here an hour ago or something."

"Some of us had material to prepare for today. Speaking of which, are we all set up Tifa?"

"It looks like it. All we have to do now is wait. Sometimes that's the hardest part though."

Nodding in agreement, Cloud took the seat next to Tifa, Axel joining him on his left. Leon, Zexion, and Riku were sitting in the row directly behind them, which Cloud was thankful for. If it had been the other way around, he might not have been able to stop staring at a certain SeeD. Taking a long sip of his coffee, Cloud sighed. This was going to be a long day.

It took another hour for everyone to be seated in the courtroom and for the judge to make his way to the bench. The jury filled in too and brought back memories of another scandal that had rocked the city; that the defendants' lawyers had demanded that jury members be brought in from another area so that they wouldn't be "tainted by the media" or some other thing. While Cloud understood the basis of their complaint, the hassle of busing in an entirely new panel of jurors had just added to the police's workload. His eyes narrowed as the defendants themselves walked in, all in high-end suits despite the pair of handcuffs wrapped around their wrists. Today they were trying the three biggest figures of the case: a tall, imposing white-haired man who went by Xemnas, a blue haired man named Saix, and, of course, Detective Dilan "Xaldin" Fisher. Instead of shrinking away, Cloud met his former supervisor's gaze evenly as the other man glared. He wouldn't let himself be intimidated. Not now.

As Cloud had anticipated, Tifa did a wonderful job in her opening statement, blowing the defendants' lawyer out of the water as far as jury impact went. Not only did she bring her looks to the table but she accompanied that with a gale-force introduction to the defendants' guilt. One by one, the opposing lawyers brought witnesses to the stand and cross-examined each person. As they had expected, Leon, Riku, Zexion, and Axel were all called up for questioning. Even Cloud himself at one point was called up to the stand to testify. Everyone, even Riku, managed to hold their composure. Having some of the most powerful members of the Organization standing in front of him just hardened Cloud's resolve to see them behind bars so that made him happy.

Their witnesses' characters were of course attacked and Cloud had to hold his tongue while the defenses' lawyers hammered away at Leon, Zexion, and Riku. However thanks to the meeting they had had earlier, Tifa had a retort ready for each and every one of their remarks. The men hadn't come up with anything new. When they had started to accuse the three of multiple robberies, Tifa had finally called Cloud back up to the witness stand.

Approaching the bench, Tifa leaned up against his seat, "Detective Strife, Mr. Larsen here claims that these three cannot be trusted because they committed a number of crimes in the community. You were the officer assigned to their case, so you're probably the expert on the matter. Tell the jury exactly what you found."

From the look in her eyes, Cloud could tell what answer she was looking for and was only too happy to give it, "While it's true these men have committed crimes in the past, there are no crimes that we have been able to pin on them concretely so, as far as the law is concerned, they are not nearly as much of a menace to society as the defendants whose guilt is backed up by physical and testimonial evidence."

Axel had given him a strange look at the time and Cloud knew that he was going to be questioned later. Sure enough, as soon as he had sat back down, the redhead leaned over to whisper into his ear as Tifa launched into another point, "Hey man, don't flat out lie like that."

Cloud's eyes narrowed as he flipped through his notes, "I wasn't lying. We don't really have any proof that would link them, without a doubt, to any of the break-ins."

"What about the DNA?" Cloud froze for only half a second, but he had faltered long enough for Axel to notice. The other man's brows furrowed as he lowered his voice, "Cloud, what about the DNA?"

Pursing his lips, Cloud set down the papers he was fiddling with and pulled something out of his pocket just enough for Axel to see. It was the DNA swab he had used to get a sample from Leon. Axel's jaw dropped as he struggled to keep his voice low enough so as to not attract the judge's attention, "Cloud, you dumbshit! Have you kept that with you all this time? That was supposed to go to the lab like two weeks ago!"

Cloud knew that; he just, hadn't gotten around to it ye..oh, who was he kidding? He just flat out couldn't go through with it. Shoving the DNA swab back into his pocket, he ignored Axel's glare. Ever since Axel had told him that he would be the one who was going to have to turn it into the lab, he had been meaning to do it. But every time he found himself there he just was never able to hand it over to one of the technicians. Every time he couldn't help it as memories from _that_ night played over in his head and he just couldn't do it. He knew that the DNA would match that found at the tower in Dark City, but, just like he knew that Leon, Riku, and Zexion had been the ones who had set that bomb off a few nights later, he found it infuriatingly impossible to tell anyone else. He shouldn't be protecting the other man, his desire to see Leon rot in a prison cell for the rest of his life hadn't faded, but slowly more and more of those thoughts were being rerouted to somewhere much more dangerous.

As the day drew on the defendants tried to put forward exonerating evidence but Cloud could tell by the jurors' faces that they weren't buying it. By the end of the day Cloud was confident that the Organization members would be charged guilty for at least some of their crimes, if not all of them. They would have to wait to find out though because although the lawyers had finished expounding their cases, the jury would probably take a few hours more to come up with a verdict.

As the judge dismissed the court for the day, Cloud felt a hand on his shoulder just as he was about to stand. Glancing up, he frowned as he saw a certain detective staring down at him. "What do you want Luxord?" He had seen the other man in the audience when he had been delivering his testimony but hadn't expected the man to confront him.

His worries were soothed a bit as Luxord raised his hands, a small grin on his face, "Relax, I come in peace. Just wanted a quick word to commend you; your investigation was aces. However, I feel obligated to warn you to be more cautious of whom you challenge next time."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "And you're not upset at all about them possibly going to prison?"

Luxord's smile grew a little drier, "While it will cut into my income a bit, it may be nice to be able to work a little more honestly. We'll see. Oh, and Axel," The redhead on Cloud's other side looked up, "I hope to see you back out in the field soon. Let me know if either of the two of you plan on coming into Dark City any time soon, perhaps I'll treat you to lunch."

"Right." As Luxord disappeared into the crowd funneling out of the courtroom, Cloud ran a hand over his face, "Alright…I think we should follow his example and get out of here."

Zexion leaned forward from behind, "I do not suppose there is any way we procure a ride back to Traverse Town, is there?"

Cloud frowned, "I'm sure we can arrange something. Why?"

Zexion glanced out of one of the darkened windows. They had worked straight through the day and through dusk, the sun by now having fully set beneath the horizon, "It seems a hassle to take the train at this hour. Besides, I do believe I can hear a ruckus coming from the front of the courthouse from all the way in here and after our performance I think it would be best to avoid the public eye as much as possible."

Cloud looked back at the other two and Riku and Leon looked like they were in agreement. Nodding, Cloud rose to his feet, "Sure, that makes sense…If you walk back with me to the station I'll find someone who can drive you back to your homes. Tifa, are you coming?"

The woman looked up, her face tired but content with a job well done, "I'm going to spend a few more minutes packing up then probably walk back to my hotel."

"Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Please Cloud, you know I can take care of myself. Besides, this is Twilight Town, not Midgar. I think I can handle it."

Cloud sighed. He knew she was right. "Okay, but call if you need anything."

As Leon, Riku, and Zexion got to their feet as well, Cloud glanced over at Axel, "I would invite you but, you know, the restriction is still good until the Chief says otherwise."

"I know, I got it. I wasn't going to ask. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

Tomorrow they had more of the same to go through, although the other trials weren't going to be nearly as spectacular as this one. Whatever the jury decided to convict Xemnas, Saix, and Fisher of was pretty much going to set the precedent for the sentences of the rest of the bunch. They weren't even asking Leon, Zexion, and Riku to come back as witnesses because they just would have said exactly the same thing. Besides, Leon had other places to go.

That thought made Cloud pause for a moment, his gaze sliding over to the SeeD. The man had a stoic expression on, as per usual, but Cloud was convinced that he saw more emotion raging in Leon's gray eyes. Having just stepped out into the hallway, Cloud grabbed Leon's sleeve while waving for the other two to continue, "We'll meet you at the entrance."

Leon looked surprised but Zexion just nodded and a smug smile spread across Riku's face, "Sure thing. Don't take too long though, or we might get bored." Wincing, Cloud shook his head; he didn't want to know what sort of trouble Zexion and Riku could get into if they became bored in a courthouse. Luckily, he didn't plan on this taking long, although the plan that he did have wasn't very well thought out.

Tugging Leon off into one of the side corridors so that they had a little more privacy, Cloud looked up into the curious man's face, "So I read that you're going to be deployed in less than a week."

Leon started a bit, his hands pulling out of his suit pockets, "How did you know that?"

"I have access to some government information." Cloud would never admit that he had been keeping tabs on Leon's SeeD profile on the police database since the day he stumbled across it. A few days ago the soldier's status had changed from "on leave" to "active duty", the date that he was going to be flown back in stamped cold-heartedly across the screen. "Does your brother know yet?"

Cloud knew that he had hit upon a sore subject when Leon's gaze faltered, the other man turning to stare back towards the main hall before an answer finally escaped him. "…No. I haven't, figured out how to tell him yet."

Sensing that there was a lot more to this, Cloud pressed on. It was unusual, at least he thought it was, to see Leon so bothered by something. The man's troubled expression was upsetting. "What are you worried about? He's a strong kid, he'll be alright."

Leon ran a hand through his hair as he let out a long breath of air. The glance he gave Cloud told the detective that the man wasn't sure if he should be talking about it but that he needed to talk to someone. "…Sora's still under-aged. If I'm not there, he still might be put into foster care. After everything, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if that happened."

Narrowing his eyes, Cloud leaned back against the wall, "You don't know anyone who could watch him?"

"No. There's Zexion, Demyx, and Riku, but, I don't want any of them getting any closer to Sora if I can help it…" Right. Of course Leon didn't know anyone else; otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place.

Silence settled between them as both men fell into their own thoughts. Cloud knew that Leon still had five more months of his contract with SeeD to fulfill. That was a long time to leave a teenager by themself, especially Sora since he was still dealing with the lingering affects of his illness. If anyone noticed that the boy was living by himself, they could report it and the authorities could very well place Sora into foster care until Leon returned. If Leon knew another adult who could act as his brother's guardian it would be different, but…Cloud's thoughts trailed off. He couldn't believe what was about to come out of his mouth. "How about this then; sign him over to me for the five months. I can drive to Traverse Town on the weekends and check up on him. If your brother has an emergency he can call one of the others."

Leon's head whipped around to stare at him, "Why would you do that?"

Cloud thought for a moment longer before shrugging, "It, would be a good way for me to keep an eye on you." That was true, in a way. Any news about Leon's condition would be sent to his family, meaning Sora, so if Cloud hung around, he would have access to that information. And he would die before he admitted anything else about the matter, even to himself.

His response drew a dry smile from Leon, "…We are both just using each other, aren't we?"

Cloud couldn't help but smile at that, "Yeah…that pretty much sums it up." Straightening, he motioned for Leon to follow him back out into the main hall, "Well, when you get back, don't worry about finding transportation back to your house. We'll have a probation officer waiting there for you to pick you up."

He heard a short chuckle escape the soldier, "I'll try to keep that in mind."

Cloud swallowed back his emotions as Leon brushed passed him, watching the other's back for a moment before letting out a growl of frustration. The reality that this could be the last time he ever saw the other man crashed down around him and Cloud ran forward and grabbed the man's elbow. Before Leon could even ask, Cloud had pulled him around, closed his eyes, and pressed their lips together, pulling away before anyone could see. Opening his eyes again to see Leon staring down at him in shock, Cloud could only shake his head, "Just…Good luck out there, alright?"

Leon nodded and, leaning down to steal one more quick kiss, gave him a tight smile, "Thanks. I'll need it."


	21. Chapter 21

Wah! The last chapter! *sniff* It seems like I just started this story yesterday…They grow up so fast! Thank you for putting up with the update lag; once again, real life got in the way (this time in the form of midterms and papers); I wrote an extra long chapter again to try and make up for it. Oh, I wanted to mention, if the intro song to this story is "The City is at War" by Cobra Starship, the ending theme is definitely "The Way the War Was Won" by Your Vegas (iTunes search, etc. if you're curious).

Thank you so much to everyone who stuck by the story from the start and to those who stumbled across it later! Also, more thanks go out to: xHanako, becauseimthefavorite, Jellicle-Wishes, ChaosGarden, Nekotsubasa, doomshuriken, RealityInABottle, Love-in-the-Stars, Trempush, BlackCatHikari, nearcreature, Shinimegami7, Aindel S. Druida, Anonymous, xacilia, suberXxXduperXxXfun machine, Becca86, LoneBoy7, Dragi, ramen-is-my-goddess, Little Wolf Vamp Hearts Yaoi, ooXloveXoo582, TwlightMystery, Clockwork Phoenix, Bane-Dane, chibi heishi, vampirezombieduck, CloudedMirror89, Arid Tundra, ALovelyVampire, , and MadeInHolland!! People have been asking if I have a sequel/new story in the works and all I can say is…maybe~! Anyway, as soon as I start up a new story, you can expect an Author's note at the end of this story to direct you to it, or just keep your eyes open if you're interested. Anyway, thanks very much dudes! You guys are the best!

O

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Chapter 21

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As he stepped out of the jeep, the brown sand crunching under his boots, Squall felt an overwhelming sense of déjà-vu and his heart sunk a little more. After nearly thirty-six hours of travel by train, taxi, plane, and bus, he was back in the last place he wanted to be, aside from prison of course. But maybe this was still worse.

The SeeD bunker looked exactly the same as when he had left it about a month and a half ago. The air was still warm and dry, a shock after having spent so long in Traverse Town where winter was settling in. In fact, if he didn't know better, it felt like he had only left yesterday. It was a sickening feeling. Slinging his duffle bag over his shoulder, Squall nodded a quick thanks back to the soldier who had picked him up in the city and began to walk towards the concrete building. After spending so much time out of his uniform, it felt a little weird wearing it again. Luckily he had finally gotten it cleaned a few days ago so he hadn't gotten more than the usual strange looks while coming here. However, he would've loved to see the look on Seifer's face when the man saw that his blood had still been on Squall's shirt.

Just as Squall was about to reach the bunker's heavy metal door, it was pushed open to reveal none other than the man he had just been thinking about, a smug look on the other's face, "I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost on the way here, Leonhart."

Squall rolled his eyes as his face fell down into a scowl. He had forgotten; while he was away Seifer had been promoted. That meant that the man was now his superior officer.

Could his life get any worse?

"The plane's layovers were extended. Blame the airports."

Seifer's condescending look didn't fade; if anything, it seemed to spread further across his face, "That wouldn't be nearly as fun. And I expect more respect from you in the future, soldier. I want to hear those 'Yes, sir!'s. Understood?"

Squall wasn't amused but he was too jet-lagged to put up an argument right now. Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, Seifer was right. "Yes sir…"

He didn't think that Seifer's smirk could grow anymore self-satisfied. "Good. I suspect you know the policy for returners, right?"

Narrowing his eyes, Squall crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm afraid I don't, _sir_." It wasn't often that a SeeD returned to active duty after leaving the field; after taking a break they were usually unable, and usually unwilling, to keep up with the harsh demands that SeeD required.

"Well, I did some research, and it looks like protocol says that returners have to go through a short retraining period. Isn't that something?" Squall grit his teeth. Newly recruited SeeD members were always brought in from the military but they had to go through about a month's worth of supplementary training before they were put out on the field. That training had been hell and to think that he had to go back through it…

Trying to keep his voice even, Squall ground out, "With all due respect…I think that I'm in good enough shape to go right back out into the field."

"Too bad protocol doesn't agree." Seifer smirked, "You'll train with the new recruits until I decide that you're ready for it. That being said, you're to report out to the training area behind the bunker at O-four-hundred tomorrow. If I were you, I'd get some sleep while I still could."

Rolling his eyes, Squall shouldered his way past Seifer and into the building. It felt good to be out of the sun, even though that meant stepping back into this concrete box. "And where's my new bunk? Down with the recruits?"

Seifer shook his head as he closed the door behind the brunette, "You're back in your old bunk." Squall was surprised. His old bunk was situated with some of the other higher ranking SeeD; the fact that they hadn't found anyone else to fill it while he was away spoke to the amount of men they must have lost in the raid Seifer had told him about weeks ago. Perhaps mistaking his expression, Seifer sneered back, "Don't be getting any ideas about how the next few weeks are going to go though. Just because you're sleeping with us doesn't mean you're going to get out of the training exercises."

"Didn't even cross my mind. Now, unless you have something else to say…?"

Seifer snorted and waved his hand, "You're dismissed. You weren't gone that long so you had better remember where everything is."

Squall only gave him a small nod before turning his back to the man and heading back down an all too familiar corridor. The same concrete floor, gray walls, bare lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling…He hated the way his feet moved automatically, hated the smell, hated the way the air tasted, but…at the same time…the familiarity was almost…comforting. This was the environment where the person he had become belonged. As disturbing a thought as it was, he almost felt more at home here than he had in Traverse Town with Sora.

With these thoughts in mind he trudged into the dormitory and dropped his duffle bag down at the foot of his bunk before letting his body fall onto the mattress. He let out a muffled grunt at the impact; the bedding was worse than he had remembered, that had been like belly-flopping onto a hardwood floor. Nevertheless, his exhaustion won out and, trying to block out the suffocating smells and sounds, forced sleep to come. Seifer hadn't been lying earlier. He was going to need every second of sleep that he could take in.

OoOoOo

Squall started awake as something heavy landed on back, knocking the air out of him. Thrashing around, he heard a soft thump as whatever it was rolled off onto the ground and opened his eyes only to be hit in the face with a blinding beam of light.

As his eyes flew shut again, a voice much too energized for the early morning hour filled his ears, "Hey there, Leon! This is your wake-up call! Good to see you again by the way!"

"Ugh…Zell?" The beam of light moved away to point at the wall behind him and Squall risked opening his eyes again, his suspicions confirmed. The voice had indeed belonged to his friend. Running a hand over his face, Squall slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, his voice still gruff from sleep, "What the hell was that for…?"

Zell grinned, the tattoo on his face shifting as the corners of his mouth turned up, "Just be glad it was me, Almasy would've done worse than throw your duffle bag on ya, man."

Glancing down, Squall confirmed that the heavy thing that landed on him had been his duffle bag after all. Weird, he didn't remember it being that heavy. But that's not what really surprised him about the situation, "No, I mean, what are you doing up?"

"Ah, yeah," Zell let out an exasperated sigh, "I got stuck with early morning sentry duty. I just got back from patrolling the perimeter. I guess the good news is that it's all clear for you and the newbies to get your morning exercise!"

Squall groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair. He had forgotten about that. A quiet laugh escaped Zell at his expression, "It's hilarious, imagining you back in training. Just put up with it and get through it real quick, okay? I don't think Seifer will keep you there too long, he needs all the experience he can get out in the field. Seriously, it will be good to have you back again."

Snorting, Squall slowly stood up, "Unfortunately I can't say it's good to be back…though it's good to see you again with all your body parts still in tact."

Zell's smirk grew drier as he reached out to straighten Squall's uniform which the brunette had ended up sleeping in, "Yeah, by luck alone. Now," the blonde stepped back and, seeming to approve, clapped Squall on the shoulder, "get out there and show those rookies how we do things around here!"

"Whatever…"

His friend didn't seem put off by his lack of enthusiasm, simply crawling up into his own bunk with a small wave as Squall dragged himself out of the room. At least he didn't have to change. He should probably have taken a shower but, then again, it would be better to save his shower time until after the training. He was going to need it.

The rooms and corridors were relatively quiet as he walked through them, although a few men were already up and wandering to the mess hall, probably those who, like Zell, had just gotten off night duty. Because their bunker was technically located within enemy territory, they always had guards posted and soldiers on duty, ready to defend against a surprise attack. A few of the men nodded to him, recognizing his face from before and Squall nodded back in return, not feeling up to talking at the moment.

Reaching the door leading to the back "field", he shoved the heavy slab of metal open and peered around. It really shouldn't have been called a field as there was no grass over the area, just a leveled area made up of sand, just like everything else for as far as the eye could see. The good thing about it was that during the day, the bunker cast a shadow over about half of the space which provided some relief from the broiling sunlight. Not that that mattered now since the sun wasn't even up yet.

There were about a dozen other men outside, undoubtedly the new recruits. That was actually a bigger number than usual but it made sense, seeing as their unit had a few empty positions to fill. He had just fallen in line with the rest of them when the door he had just passed through once again flew open to reveal one of the ranking officers, undoubtedly the man who was going to run them through their paces that morning. The man only gave Squall a quick once-over before ordering the group as a whole to take a lap around the bunker. Seifer must have told the officer about him then, though the thought didn't bother him much as he began to jog off with the others. He had figured that Seifer would take the chance to come humiliate him so seeing another soldier as their training officer was a bit of a relief.

After a few hours of intensive training however, that relief had given way to annoyance. The group had just been granted a five minute break for water to make sure that no one passed out from dehydration. It was only ten in the morning and already Squall could feel his uniform becoming soaked in sweat. Leaning against the concrete wall in a sliver of shade, Squall glared at the training officer's back as he gulped down mouthfuls of lukewarm water. At first he had been fine with the training, it _was_protocol after all, but he was quickly realizing how much it bothered him to be receiving orders along with all of the other newcomers. He had worked hard to get to the point where he was able to be the one giving orders, not following them, and finding himself in such a demoted position was just…irritating. Especially after the freedom he had grown accustomed to with Zexion and Riku.

His brooding was interrupted as the door to the bunker opened again and the last person he wanted to see at that moment stepped out into the sunlight. Their eyes immediately locked and Seifer smirked before the expression was quickly hidden away as the blonde man turned towards the trainer, "Thompson, what the hell are the rookies sitting for?"

The officer, Thompson, spun on his heels and gave a quick salute, "Water break, sir. They'll be back on their feet in two minutes."

"Nevermind that. Go get some breakfast or something and let me whip them into shape."

"Yes, sir."

Squall no longer bothered to hide his glare as Thompson disappeared back into the bunker to leave them alone with Seifer, the blonde crossing his arms as he caught the look. "What, you want to go in too?"

Taking another gulp of water, Squall answered in a growl, "Yeah, breakfast would be nice."

He really didn't like the look that had just come into Seifer's eyes. It reminded him of that spark of excitement that Riku had gotten in his own eyes just before he shot someone. "Alright then, line up, all of you. Once more exercise and you can go in to get some food." The new recruits were only too happy to obey but to say that Squall was suspicious would be an understatement. Even so, he dropped his canteen and rose to his feet, not wanting to give Seifer an excuse to give him extra time for insubordination. "Now, get down on the ground and show me some push-ups."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Squall dropped down and obeyed, he and the others falling into a natural rhythm. He had been expecting something a little more dramatic than the basic push-up…unless…

Squall scowled down at the sand underneath him before raising his head to look up at Seifer even as he continued with the exercise, "How many do you want, Almasy?"

He swore that he saw Seifer fight down a grin and he instantly felt sorry for the new recruits. Whatever Seifer said next wasn't going to be good. "That's for you to decide." Looking at the group as a whole, Seifer's chin tilted up in an arrogant challenge, "The lot of you are going to do push-ups until one of you gives up. So impress me, show me what kind of men SeeD is bringing in these days."

Gritting his teeth as the other's answered back with a well-trained chorus of "Yes, sir!", Squall simply turned his eyes back to the ground, beginning to try and control the strain in his arms. There was no telling how long they were going to be at this; Seifer had played a dirty card. Every man who came into SeeD was proud of his physical abilities and not one of them would willingly be the first to give up. All he knew was that it couldn't be him. He would never allow Almasy that sort of satisfaction.

The minutes stretched into half an hour and then an hour and then two and three hours, Squall's forearms starting to ache. He had lost count long ago of the number of push-ups he had done, it didn't even matter anymore. They had kept up the same pace through stubbornness alone and, now that the sun was overhead and beating down on them with its full strength, he could hear some of the other men beginning to pant from the exertion. He could feel sweat rolling down his back and forehead, the fabric of his uniform beginning to stick to his damp skin. As the minutes continued to tick by, Squall was glad that he had taken that last sip of water. Whether or not any of them wanted to stop, pretty soon one of them would be forced to after suffering heat stroke.

Seifer had long since retreated into the shade of the bunker, calmly watching them as he leaned backed against the concrete wall. Squall could feel the man's eyes on him but that only pushed him harder. If Almasy thought this would bring him down than the man was going to be disappointed. He had been a SeeD too long to not remember how to block out the physical pain and just continue the motion, over and over, letting his mind drift just enough so that he wasn't focused on the way his arms were starting to shake just a little every time he pushed his body back up.

The others though weren't as prepared as he was and, as Squall had predicted, one of them finally just didn't have enough water in his body to continue to function, having lost too much to sweat. As the man collapsed, he could feel rather than hear a wave of relief shudder through the rest of them as they permitted themselves to stop.

Pushing himself up once more, Squall rolled back into a sitting position and looked towards the man who had fallen only to find that Seifer was already at the soldier's side with a canteen. After he had slapped the man awake and forced some water down his throat, Seifer turned to the rest of the them with a small frown, "Alright, like I promised, you guys can go ahead and take a break for some food." He had barely finished his sentence before everyone but Squall was on their feet and shuffling towards the bunker, "Just be back here in half an hour! You've got three more hours of training afterwards!"

Squall watched as he received some shaky salutes in response before Seifer walked over to him as Squall stood, "Leonhart, you did better than I thought."

Blinking at what he thought what might have been a compliment, Squall looked straight at the blonde, "Thanks, I think. Although I'm not sure what you were expecting."

Seifer shrugged, "You were off duty for almost six weeks, most would have fallen out of practice."

The comment brought a small smile to Squall's lips. There was no way that he would've fallen out of practice with what he had gone through; if anything, he was in better shape than ever. "I managed to keep in shape."

"We'll see about that. But maybe Dincht was right…If I'm feeling particularly generous maybe I'll get you out of retraining early."

This time Squall really did roll his eyes, "Thanks so much, _sir_."

"Stop being so goddamn sarcastic, Leon, and get into practice of treating me as your superior officer. Should I remind you that the time you spend getting retrained doesn't count towards fulfilling your contract with SeeD?" Squall instantly sobered up. Seifer was right; the longer he spent in training, the longer it would be until he could go home again.

"Maybe I should get lunch then so I can make it back here on time—"

Seifer cut him off and Squall looked up to see that amusement had once again crossed over the man's face. "Before you go running off, you'll have to make a quick stop."

Squall narrowed his eyes, "Where?"

"The infirmary." Squall gave the man a look and Seifer only smirked again before reaching up and tugging on a strand of Squall's hair that had grown out to a little past his shoulders. "You need a haircut, so you'll need to go where they have a good pair of scissors. The way you are, I doubt the helmet will fit on top of your head."

Swatting Seifer's hand away, Squall scowled but didn't protest too much. He knew his hair should have been trimmed two months ago, he had just always put it off. "Fine, but I get an extra half hour on break."

"I don't think so. If you can't manage it, you'll have to go without food until dinner." He would probably have to eat while he got someone to cut his hair then…hopefully the doctors weren't too busy right now that one of them wouldn't be able to play barber for a few minutes.

Luckily, the infirmirary was empty and the doctor was in a good enough mood to humor such a request. Even better, what the SeeD doctor lacked in artistry he made up for in speed. Within moments Squall felt inches beginning to be cut off and he only had to wait about ten minutes for the man to announce that he was done. Standing up as he was dismissed, he glanced at a small mirror that had been leaned up against the wall; his hair was short again, except for the bangs which the man had left long. It looked almost exactly like the style he had two years ago, "Thanks. Looks good."

"I do what I can. Now, they probably have you on a ridiculously short lunch break, so try to get a little food in your stomach, okay? Maybe some protein. You'll need it."

Happy that he would actually have time to get some lunch after all, Squall obeyed, his head feeling strangely less weighted down as he walked to the mess hall. He had just barely made it inside when he heard a voice calling his name from across the room. It was Dincht. Not even his friend was going to distract him from food right now though, and he snatched up a plate and loaded it up with food from the cafeteria-like set-up before walking over to the tattooed SeeD.

As he finally made it over to the table, Zell patted the chair beside him, the man sitting at the end of a long table meant to hold half the SeeD unit at a time. "Hey, look at you, Leon! You look like a little kid again! After getting used to your hair, I hardly recognize you!"

Squall shook his head at Zell's grin as he began to ungracefully inhale his lunch. Elegance could go screw itself, he was starving. "Is that a compliment?"

"Sure, let's say so. Anyway, how's training going?"

Squall paused only long enough to shoot Zell a glare, "Almasy just spent the last four hours 'training' us, how do you think it's going?"

A laugh escaped the other SeeD, "That good, huh? Sounds about right. But listen," Zell's face grew almost serious and he scooted his chair closer, "I just got wind that some bigger missions are in the works. I'll bet Seifer'll pull you out soon."

"I don't know, I think he has too much fun watching me suffer…"

"Yeah, but he needs you more. Not that he'll ever admit to it. Anyway, I'm taking a group out on recon tonight, so when I get back in a few days I should be able to tell you more about it."

Squall perked up at this. Reconnaissance could either be a very boring job or a very dangerous one, depending on how close you got to the enemy and what you actually found. "You going close to enemy camps?"

"That's the plan. Oh, right, you were gone. We found a possible hideout of theirs about fifteen miles southwest of here, so we're heading out on foot to check the place out. If everything goes right, we shouldn't be spotted so, no problem. Except for that I have to carry out like half my body weight in water, which sucks." Squall nodded, knowing that the man probably wasn't exaggerating that much. Water was heavy, and when you were walking all day, or even all night, through the desert without any cover you needed a lot of it. It was almost unheard of for a SeeD to go through less than two gallons a day while on duty. The weight of the water you needed plus all your gear, including your armor and weapons added up, which of course only made you work harder and made you thirstier.

"Be careful."

Zell just gave him a small wink, "Come on, I wouldn't go out on Recon! You just worry about getting yourself through training. If Seifer keeps you on for more than a week, I'll be surprised."

Squall scoffed a little as he leaned back in his seat, having finished his food, "You'd better be right…I might go crazy otherwise."

Grinning, Zell gave him a hearty slap on the back, "Ha, well, try to keep your sanity for a little longer; we're going to need you soon!"

Squall just nodded, once again hoping that Dincht was right.

And, after five more days passed, it turned out he was.

Zell had made it back, having safely completed his mission, and he, Seifer, and a few more of the higher ups in their unit disappeared behind a pair of closed doors before calling for Squall to join them where the situation was explained to him in detail. Apparently while he had been away the enemy combatants had grown in number and in bravery, shown by the way that they launched a raid on the actual SeeD bunker all those weeks ago. The military was beginning to worry that they were losing control of the region and were thus asking the SeeD to step up their game to take some of the pressure off of the official troops. It would have almost been insulting except that was the reason the SeeD had been brought in in the first place. They had been trained to do what ordinary soldiers could not, and that included going in ahead of the frontline. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, they needed every experienced SeeD that they could get their hands on to lead smaller groups out for the initial round of assignments: more recon, probably small skirmishes, that sort of thing.

Seifer started him out slow at first, partnering him up with Dincht or sending him out on smaller, less risky, missions but Squall didn't mind too much. After all, he did need to warm back up and it was strange, initially, being in charge of a group again. As he spoke to the other SeeD through the headset installed in his helmet, his visor down and shading his eyes from the strength of the sun's rays, he would be reminded of working with Riku and Zexion and for a moment it would feel wrong to be barking out orders into the microphone.

It all came back easily though; just like riding a bike, you never really could forget how to act. It had been drilled so thoroughly into Squall's head that he didn't think that he would ever be rid of it. Those around him, including Almasy, realized this and within a month he was back in his old positions like he hadn't ever left. It felt good, but at the same time, having reestablished his rank alongside Zell and now just below Seifer, he was now going into some of the most dangerous areas.

The hours turned to days, the days to weeks, and Squall could barely manage to remember to eat no less have time to think about things back in Traverse Town. During the first month, he had sent out two letters to Sora but now, whenever he had a second to think and his thoughts drifted to his brother, he could only be thankful that Cloud had volunteered to watch over the teen. There was no way that he could have managed to take care of Sora from here; with slow post and no reliable phone or internet, communicating with the outside world was nearly impossible.

Of course, at the same time, that is what allowed the SeeDs to stay sane. Even thinking about anything deeper than what you were going to have for dinner was discouraged, as Squall was reminded as he let the lifestyle swallow him up again. Think about anything else and you started thinking about home, and what you were doing, and soon enough you would just…lose it. Like what had happened to him when he had gotten the letter about his parents' accident; any reminder of the real world and you just wouldn't be able to keep going. Not with everything that they did and saw each day. Squall had readjusted himself to the taste of sweat, the smell of gunpowder, and the sight of human blood spilling across the sand. That was the new normal. That _had _to be the new normal.

The good news was that the days seemed pass by faster than Squall could blink. The bad news was that every day the missions grew more hazardous as the tensions continued to mount between the SeeD and their enemies. Eventually, the day came when the tension finally snapped and it was decided that they needed to act before the fight came to them.

Sitting down around a rickety table, Seifer ran his fingers through his hair as Zell and Squall took the two empty seats, the three having gathered early in the morning in an unofficial meeting. A short silence settled between them, probably due to the fact that Zell was still shaking off his exhaustion. The poor man had just gotten back to the bunker around two in the morning and had gotten all of three hours of sleep. Seeing that no one else was going to start up the conversation, Seifer leaned back in his chair, "Alright, so I just got word back from the Lieutenant General."

Squall heard him begin to trail off and frowned, "And?"

"It looks like we're going to launch a raid against the enemy's northeastern HQ."

"By ourselves?"

"Yeah."

Squall let out a long breath of air. After a long period of feeling the enemy out, they had narrowed their centers of activity down to a few locations, one of the big ones happening to be their headquarters to the northeast of the SeeD bunker. It used to be a small village but the enemy had completely gutted it and turned it into a stronghold, filled with ammunition, supplies, and land mines. Basically, it was going to be a nightmare to raid, especially to do so with the SeeD's limited resources. If they were lucky, they'd be able to round up enough all-terrain vehicles to get the whole unit out there without anyone having to make what would be a two-day hike.

As if finally realizing what Seifer had just said, Zell's eyes popped open, "What, are you serious?"

Neither Squall nor Seifer could stop a small smirk from slipping across their lips as Seifer crossed his arms, "Little slow on the uptake there, Dincht. And yeah I'm serious, why the hell would I joke about something like that?"

Zell frowned, "It wouldn't surprise me, you have a dark sense of humor." The man let out a large sigh, "Man, this is exactly the type of stunt I should've expected…right when we were going to be able to get out of here too…"

"Huh?"

Turning to Squall, Zell's lit back up in a soft grin, "We've only got three weeks left until our contracts are up."

Squall blinked. Had time really passed that quickly? Then a thought hit him, "You guys are on the two year contract too…Why haven't you left yet? You should have been done three weeks ago."

Seifer remained silent and finally Zell spoke up, that same grin on his face, "We came into this together, and the three of us are going out of it together. Remember, when we just got into the SeeD?" Squall tried, but for the life of him all that came back of that early time were blurs. "We agreed that we'd all take that plane flight out of this hellhole, together. So we're sticking to it."

As Zell's words sunk in, Squall's eyes widened. They were staying on an extra six weeks for him. They both were. They were putting their lives on the line for some stupid promise they had made to each other as recruits.

Before Squall could get pulled in too deep by his emotions, Seifer quickly waved it off as he glanced away, "Don't think too much of it. As the commanding officer, I have to stay on until this shit is over with. I guess that just makes Dincht an idiot."

He knew very well that Seifer was just trying to save face. He could have left three weeks ago with plenty of time for a new commander to take over his role. But Squall wasn't about to argue the point; he owed him that much, "Still, thanks. I feel better going in with you guys watching my back."

Rolling his eyes, Seifer sat up, "Watch your own back, Leon, I'll be running out in front of you. Anyway, we're taking off tomorrow as soon as we get the gear packed up. Just cross your fingers we have enough humvees or else you guys will be sharing a seat for the trip."

Squall scowled as he pushed himself to his feet. He had things to get done before tomorrow; they all did. "I'd rather sit on the roof."

"Watch what you wish for, Leonhart. And Dincht, for the love of god, get to bed early today. You need to be alert tomorrow."

Zell saluted cheekily, "Yes, sir!"

As it turned out, everyone in the bunker went to bed early that night, except for the four men on guard duty who would be staying at the base the next day. It was the first time that Squall could remember that nearly every single bunk was filled, only serving to emphasize the extent of the assault they were about to launch. It would certainly be the biggest foray their SeeD unit had ever been a part of. For once Squall didn't pass out as soon as his back hit the mattress but stayed awake for a while, staring up at the bunk above his where Seifer was sleeping, Zell laying out like a light in the bunk next to his head. If something was going to happen to him, to any of them, it was going to happen tomorrow. And as much as it scared him, he had come to terms with it. After all, there were only three weeks left until he could see Sora, his house, Cloud again, and stay for good. That alone would be enough to carry him through whatever hell that awaited him.

The day after started up deceivingly enough like any other day, all of the soldiers out helping to load up the trucks as the sun started to show over the barren horizon. They had managed to get one of their spare humvees working so everyone was just barely able to get their own seat, which was a blessing since Squall really hadn't wanted to ride with Zell on his lap the whole way. That was something he'd only tolerate from one person: Sora, and still only for short distances. The idea of doing so over the bumpy sand dunes while simultaneously in full battle gear with your rifle in your hands was not appealing.

Even with the vehicle packed full of guns, ammunition, supplies, and human bodies, the ride was nearly silent, the small curses slipping past Seifer's lips as he drove them over particularly rough patches the only noise to pierce the quiet. Squall was riding in the passenger's seat, Zell sitting directly behind him, both men gripping tightly at the handles bolted above the humvee's doors to keep themselves balanced. Since there were no roads where they were going, their pace was painstakingly slow, their powerful vehicles barely managing the rough terrain as their tires kicked up a storm of dust in their wake. Nevertheless they had the windows opened wide, the wind their only reliable air-conditioning.

They had left early enough that they arrived at their location, about half a mile away from the enemy's camp, by mid-morning, the sun not quite at its hottest but high enough in the sky to cast a shimmering haze over the sand. As soon as he shifted into park, Seifer had jumped from the car and began shouting orders as the rest of their caravan caught up and men began to pile out. Squall knew that every second counted now; the sand storm they had kicked up would have caught the attention of even the laziest look-out and they had to act fast to not give their opponents time to prepare their defenses.

Squall pulled on his helmet, flipping on his radio as he watched Zell do the same, the other man giving him a thumbs up as Seifer focused on getting his troops into some sort of formation. "—_Good lucky, buddy!—_"

Squall answered with a stiff nod just as Seifer met up with them, the blonde flipping down his visor, his icy blue eyes still visible through the plastic, "—_Let's move out! Keep an eye out, we'll be in range in a few hundred feet.—_"

Looking up as they began to walk, Squall could make out the silhouette of the village up ahead and flipped the safety off of his rifle. Zell was a few feet to his left, Seifer on his right, as the three of them led the SeeD at a quick march knowing that there was nowhere to hide, no shelter, between them and the village should they start receiving fire. A few tense minutes passed as they all strained their eyes, looking for anything, any sign of life. From this distance, the village looked peaceful but Squall knew that it wouldn't be long before—there! "Second roof to the left, RPG!"

"—_Hit the ground!—_" The sharp order from Seifer came nearly at the same instant there was a blast in the distance, a small puff of smoke clouding up around the figure Squall had seen at the roof as the discharge sent a grenade shooting out towards them. Throwing himself to the sand, Seifer's static-shadowed voice rang in his ears before, before he could even take a breath, an explosion suddenly seeming to erupt from the sand two meters in front of where he was laying. "—_On your feet! Remember, there's not one civilian among them and we're not taking P.O.W.s, so let's move!—_"

Gritting his teeth, Squall pushed himself up, Zell close on his heels, and followed Seifer as he led the charge, the other SeeD running after them. There was another explosion to his far right, but Squall ignored it, his focus set on the village. They were only hundreds of feet away now and he could see figures beginning to emerge from around the corners of buildings and from behind low rock walls, not one hand without a gun in its hold. And he kept running forward, his breath echoing heavily in his helmet.

The next few moments meshed into one single chaotic flurry of motions, gunfire, and screams having finally stepped within accurate rifle range. The SeeD mercilessly began to exchange round for round, trying desperately to rush forward to secure any sort of defensible position, anything to duck down behind, to catch their breath, to take a moment to aim.

Squall lost track of everyone else as he vaulted over a short rock wall and slammed the butt of his rifle down into a man crouched there with his finger on the trigger of his semi-automatic. A spatter of blood hit his visor but he didn't give himself time to think, wouldn't let himself think, couldn't think; he was running purely on instinct and training now. It was about surviving to take your next breath.

Whipping his head up, he shot down a man just in time to avoid taking a round to the chest, deafened by the sound of gunfire erupting around him and people yelling over the headset. Seifer, Zell, "_to your right_", "_around the corner_", "_behind you!_", that tense fear of death filling their voices.

Squall heard more screams behind him and spotted a SeeD pushing further ahead into the village and chased after him, firing at another man, then another, and another. To his left, a SeeD kicked down the door to a dilapidated house and charged inside, only to be blasted out a second later, dead before he hit the ground as another enemy poured out from inside, Squall gunning him down before the other could do the same to him.

Hearing Zell's voice again, Squall's eyes darted around wildly before they finally landed on a familiar figure crouching down behind an empty cart. Able to recognize his friend simply by his shape and behavior, Squall ran to his side, Zell giving him a tight-lipped smile, "You okay?"

Squall nodded then jumped as another person ran up to them, his gun lowering only once he had identified Seifer, the man's voice clearer over the headset than through the air, "—_You two, just who I wanted to see! I'm going in further, you with me?_—"

Squall and Zell's answer was simultaneous: "Yes, sir!"

"—_Alright then, let's go—_"

Leaving the safety of their small barricade, Squall and Zell quickly took up their positions, flanking Seifer on either side as they all began to storm forwards. Back in the open, gunfire once again filled Squall's senses. Most of the other members of SeeD were behind them but there were one or two who had rushed again, their identities nearly impossible to determine inside the chaos. Looking closer, Squall realized that one of the men was wounded and running back towards them through a town square, a sitting-duck as he stumbled through the open area.

Without any hesitation, Squall gave a small nod to Seifer before running towards his injured comrade, doing his best to take out any enemies he saw on the way. They were hiding behind buildings and fences, shooting through windows and from rooftops; he was sure he was missing a few but, knowing that Seifer and Zell were probably right behind him he knew that they would to take care of the stragglers for him.

As he got closer to the wounded man Squall was able to see blood dripping down his arm. The soldier would need immediate medical attention; the field medic was probably back towards the outskirts of the village, but hopefully wouldn't be too difficult to find. Now only a few yards away, Squall could just see the man's pained face through his tinted visor. And he was only able to understand what happened next by seeing the panic in the other's eyes as the soldier took one more step forward.

As soon as the man set his foot down, the sand underneath his boot compressed and suddenly Squall's vision was blasted apart by a huge explosion. The wave of energy slammed into him and sent him flying back, losing track of which way was up as he tumbled through the air, a scorching heat ripping through his body as he blacked out.

When he could finally see again, Squall was lying on his back staring straight up at the sky, the blue color covered by a haze of dust and gunpowder. His hearing returned just as sand kicked up beside him and, a second later, Seifer and Zell were hanging over him, their faces ashen. Their voices sounded strange in his ears, a slight ringing to them…it was hard to focus on their words.

"Dicht, get his helmet off!"

Squall blinked as Zell wrestled with the straps on his helmet and was about to reach up to help when he was hit with a searing pain as soon as he moved his arms. Sucking in a dry breath, his chest heaved as he tried to even comprehend what had happened. His whole lower body felt as if it had been lit on fire and that someone was trying to pull his guts straight out of his body. The wounded soldier, he had stepped forward…land mine. It had been a land mine.

Letting out a stifled gasp as Zell finally worked his helmet off, Squall tilted his head but before he could see anything Seifer put a firm hand on his chest to hold him, "Don't look down, Leon!"

Drawing in another shaky breath, Squall grit his teeth. He could feel Seifer's palm trembling through the man's glove. If it was that bad…"My legs…?"

Glancing back up, Seifer shook his head, "You're legs are, there, but that's not what I'm worried about."

A breath of air passed through Squall's lips as he leaned his head back onto the sand. He had heard of one too many soldiers loosing their legs in this sort of thing. He had probably only been saved because he hadn't been the one to hit the mine. The other man…was probably dead. Feeling something welling up inside his throat, Squall coughed, wincing as he just barely felt something trickle down his chin. It was blood, "Wha—what 's it?"

The pain overwhelmed him and he nearly blacked out again, coming back just in time to see Zell's panicked face wince although Squall missed the sharp glare Seifer sent the other soldier, "Ah, I don't think I should—"

"Zell…!"

"Alright! Uh, imagine, imagine that there was a piece of shrapnel the size of, of your hand, embedded in your stomach. It'd be something like th—"

He was interrupted by a sharp bark from Seifer, "--Dincht, shut up, get your ass in gear, and find a medic!"

"Yes sir!"

More sand flew into the air as Zell sprang to his feet and ran off as another cough escaped passed Squall's lips, more blood seeming to bubble up in his throat every time he breathed. Despite all of his SeeD training to block out pain, the agony was becoming so great that he felt himself going back under, the edge of his vision beginning to grow hazy. He just barely heard Seifer's voice, even the sounds of the surrounding melee growing distant, "Shit…I can't tell how deep it is. It's gonna have to stay in until we get some help over here or you'll just bleed out."

Squall hoped Seifer hadn't been expecting a reply because he wasn't going to get one. Breathing was enough of a challenge so talking was out of the question. In fact, keeping his eyes open was becoming a problem too. He shuddered as a cold wave swept through him, the feeling strange after spending so many months being burned by sunlight.

The action caught Seifer's attention and one of the man's hands moved up from Squall's stomach to slap lightly at his cheek, "Hey, don't you go under on me."

If Squall had any energy left he would have smirked at that. He was straining ever fiber in his being to stay awake, to stay focused, to stay alive, but every second he could feel himself drifting further and further.

The sound of gunfire had stopped all together but he was sure it wasn't because the fight had ended. He was shutting down, he could feel it as a haze began to seep over his eyes.

Sora…what about Sora? Would he be alright? Would he be able to keep the house…?

Through the fog there was a flash of gold and blue above him and he sensed someone leaning over him, blocking out the sky and he tried to suck in a breath, "…Cloud…?"

He felt a sigh, the air hot against his chilled skin as it brushed against his cheek before dry lips closed over his. The kiss was harsh and tasted like his own blood, but it kept him from tumbling over the edge. Pulling away slightly, the lips swept across his as murmured words slipped through them, just barely reaching his ears, "Stay with us, Leon…! The medic's on his way."

How was Cloud here…? Why--…? He just couldn't, couldn't think anymore. Leaning his head back, Squall finally closed his eyes. Maybe if he fell asleep he wouldn't feel the pain anymore…

* * *

"….Cloud."

"Cloud…wake up!"

Letting out a small moan, Cloud gripped the pillow he had pulled to his chest before forcing an eye open, only to find Sora standing over him, the teen's face alight with poorly concealed excitement. Frowning, Cloud closed his eyes again and pulled the pillow up to cover his face, "Ugh…what time's it?"

"Seven!"

Cloud let the pillow drop from his face in favor of sending Sora a soft glare, the look ruined somewhat by his bed-head and pajamas. "This had better be good…"

Sora nodded enthusiastically and, seeing that he now had Cloud's attention, climbed up onto the bed next to the detective. Seeing his excitement, Cloud's frown fell away and he scooted over to make more room for the brunette as Sora pulled a newspaper out from behind his back and spread it out over the bedsheets.

He had been coming to the Leonhart household every weekend, just like he had promised, for a little over four months now, and he had grown pretty fond of the kid. Since Sora was only fifteen Cloud felt a different sort of brotherly bond forming between them than the one he had with Roxas, who was only two years younger than him. He could see why Leon was so attached. Nevertheless, getting woken up at seven the morning after you left work at ten at night with a two hour commute on top of that wasn't good.

When he had first started coming over, he had slept out on the couch but after a while it had been Sora who first broached the question of if he wanted to sleep on one of the beds. More specifically, the teen had hesitantly asked if he wanted to stay in his late parents' room. Cloud had known that it was a sensitive issue but eventually, after a few more stays, he had taken the boy up on the offer. And the situation hadn't been as awkward as Cloud had feared. Besides, that meant that Sora could get up early on Saturday mornings and watch TV or play video games without having to bother Cloud with the noise.

So far they had gotten along pretty well. Sora was pretty self-sufficient and, like Cloud had thought, very strong-willed and seemed to manage fine on his own during the week. His health hadn't relapsed either, which was good. The most Cloud had to do was take the teen to the hospital to get a refill on his medication. In fact, the biggest trouble they had was whenever Riku tried to stop by. Knowing that Leon wouldn't be happy about that and, with his new protective streak, none too happy about it himself, Cloud had promptly threatened to arrest him for trespassing. He was pretty sure that Riku came over during the week though…he just tried not to think about what went on when he wasn't there. Luckily, Sora's personality and behaviors hadn't changed so nothing too bad could have happened.

Cloud's attention was called back as Sora flipped through the pages of the newspaper before pointing down at a story, "Look! Look what's in the paper!"

Narrowing his eyes, Cloud sat up and leaned over so that he could see the page better. Sora's finger was pointing down at a medium-sized black and white picture, some men in uniform, "Something about the military?"

"No, the SeeD! Look, it's Squall!'

Now much more interested, Cloud lunged forward and snatched up the page. Bringing it closer, Cloud realized that, yes, it was actually a pixilated picture of Leon. He had cut his hair so he hadn't realized at first. There were two other men beside him, one with short blonde hair and a stern expression, the only one looking at the camera, and the other another blonde with a strange tattoo on his face. Huh, it seemed like they wouldn't have let that kind of person into the military. Then again, it was SeeD, so mercenaries probably had different standards. His eyes swooped down to the caption: _Com. Seifer Almasy of SeeD to lead surge into enemy territory_. "Did you read the story?"

Sora nodded again, "Yeah, it sounded like they were going to be entering into some pretty heavy fighting. It didn't mention Squall anywhere…do you think he'll be okay?"

Gazing into Leon's face, even through a photo, gave Cloud an immediate sense of relief. No one had heard from him in well over two months now; not even his profile on the police database had any new information. Just knowing that he had been alive whenever this picture had been taken… "He's lasted this long, I'm sure he'll be fine." Looking down at the photo again, a grin lit Cloud's face. "Can you pass me my cell phone from the side table?"

Reaching over, Sora looked up at him curiously as he flipped the cell open, "Who're you calling?"

"Roxas, I want him to see this." His brother had been telling him for weeks now that he probably should start accepting that Leon had been killed, or injured, or captured, or something equally bad. Roxas had always been a bit of a pessimist, or, as he liked to say, a realist. There was no way Cloud was going to let this opportunity to rub it in his face go by.

Dialing, he pulled the phone up to his ear, the newspaper laid out in his lap as he waited for his brother to pick up. Finally a sleepy voice came over the line, "_Hello…_?"

"Hey, it's me. Listen, go grab the newspaper. Wait," Cloud's face fell, "you don't get the paper do you?"

"_No…but hold on a sec, I think Axel gets the Sunday paper…_"

Straightening up, Cloud's brow furrowed, "Why does it matter what paper Axel gets? Wait a minute, are you at his house?" The silence on the other end of the line spoke volumes. Since when were they back together? Last he knew, Roxas was still giving Axel the cold shoulder, "That's new."

"_Yeah well, just…whatever, anyway, what am I getting the stupid paper for?_"

"Just open it up to," Cloud glanced up at the newspaper in his hands, "page six." Had they really put this story all the way back on page six? This was front page material, and not just because it was about Leon.

He heard the sound of paper rustling for a minute before he heard a muffled exclamation from Roxas's end, suddenly sounding wide awake, "_Holy crap!_"

That was a better reaction than he had been expecting, "Are you really that surprised that Leon's still alive?"

"_What about Leon? Oh, he's that other guy, isn't he_."

"Wait, what were you talking about then?"

"_The guy in front! I know him! His name is Seifer and he's the biggest asshole in the city! He used to use me and Hayer for punching bags when we used to go to Struggle matches! Figures he's in SeeD_."

Cloud's eyes narrowed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"_Huh? Oh, uh, nothing! Just, anyway, I gotta call Hayner about this. Talk to you later!_"

Hearing a dial tone, Cloud pulled the phone away from his ear, "Well that went differently than planned…"

Sora glanced back up, a small shine of concern in his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Rox just recognized this other guy from the picture. Apparently he's from Twilight Town." The look of concern didn't fade away though as Sora turned back to look at the photograph. Cloud watched him for a moment then let out a small sigh, "Try not to worry about it…I'm sure Leon will be just fine."

* * *

Sliding back into consciousness, Squall blinked his eyes open only to be blinded by a bright white light. Eyes quickly falling shut again, he tried to figure out what was going on. He was…laying down, not on sand but on something softer. A cot maybe. His uniform was off…and he could feel an IV needle tapped to his arm, pumping who knew what into his veins. The last thing he remembered…being blasted by that land mine. Almasy and Dincht had been there…and Cloud? That couldn't be right.

Slowly opening his eyes this time to allow his vision time to adjust to the light, Squall looked down to find that he was indeed laying down on a cot, inside the SeeD infirmary at that. It looked like they had been able to get him back in time after all. All his body parts were still there and, he cautiously tried to wiggle his feet and hands, and they were all working. Most of the bottom half of his body was wrapped up tightly in bandages though, the thin blanket lying on top of him pulled up as if someone had just been checking his wrappings. Maybe that's what had woken him up.

Glancing to the right, Squall noticed that nearly all of the beds were full and spotted the head doctor sitting at his cramped desk in the corner, looking exhausted. He was just about to speak when he felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around so fast it made him dizzy, a soft, tired laugh filling the air as the hand patted his arm, "Easy there, don't throw yourself off the bed."

Zell was sitting in a chair just to his left, of course the direction he hadn't looked in. Frowning, Squall leaned back onto the small pillow, "What happened?"

"Are you really gonna listen this time or are you just going to fall asleep again?"

"What?"

Zell grinned, though Squall noticed that it wasn't as bright as usual, "It's been about five days now since we brought you in and you've been drifting in and out for a while now, ever since the doc lowered your pain meds to a sane level."

Squall glanced down at his arm and the IV stuck into it, "Pain meds…?" They had to be pretty strong; he couldn't feel anything except for a dull pounding throughout his whole body and the beginnings of a migraine.

"Yeah, you're pretty dosed up right now so don't be too worried if you feel like your brains functioning a little slower than usual."

Nodding, Squall waited a minute before looking over at his friend, his brows furrowed, "What happened?"

"At the raid?" Squall nodded again and Zell let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, "Let's see…after you went down and I came back with the medic, we carried you back to one of the humvees that he was using as a sort of field hospital. I went back to help out and between me, a severely ticked-off Seifer, and the rest of the guys, we finished up the job. By that time though, the medic had sent back a car load of the injured who needed emergency attention, you included. By the time the rest of us got back to base, you were sitting right here. For the first forty-eight hours they said that you might not make it but it looked like you managed to pull through." Zell winked at him, "I never doubted you though. You're too stubborn to go out so easily."

"Thanks for your confidence…"

"Anyway, the doc said you're still in a danger zone, though the fact that you're, like, cognizant and stuff is a good sign. Take it easy for the next few days, alright?"

Squall's lips quirked up into a strained smile, "I don't think I'm going anywhere…"

"Right."

A long silence fell between them, the only sound the noise of the doctor's pen scratching across paper from across the room and the soft hum of machines measuring heart rates and pumping air into the broken bodies laying out around him.

Finally, Zell spoke up again, his voice softer this time, "Hey, you officially owe me one favor. Remember? From right before you left that first time?" Squall paused for a moment then nodded and Zell's smile reappeared, "Then get better, okay? After all, we all need to fly out of here together, and I don't think Seifer's going to wait much longer."

Squall frowned again, "…How much time until my contract's up?"

"You have about two weeks left, just long enough to heal up enough to get on a plane. That is, as long as your body can keep up with it all."

"It'll keep up…" No matter how damaged he still was, he needed to go home. He needed to see Sora and everyone else—Cloud—again. There was no way he was missing that flight, even if he had to crawl across the tarmac on his hands and knees to get there.

oOoOo

It turned out that him crawling wasn't necessary after all. Through sheer willpower, the doctor's care, and Zell's support, Squall was able not only to stand, but to walk to the shower, rinse himself off, and pull on his uniform on the morning they were scheduled to be driven into town. It might not have seemed like a large accomplishment, but to Squall, who had been trapped on his back on that stupid cot for over a week, it felt like he was flying. Someone had even taken the time to have his uniform cleaned and mended for him, although he suspected that he had been given an entirely new pair of pants. He had seen his legs when the doctor was treating him; they weren't that bad, mostly second and some light third degree burns, but he knew that his pant legs must have been charred away.

The bad side of his mobility though was that he was no longer hooked up to the IV and the really powerful pain medication, so his stomach had been aching. Apparently there had been a good deal of internal damage done when the piece of shrapnel stabbed into him, but the doctor said that he had been able to patch everything up well enough that he shouldn't suffer from any conditions brought on by complications.

Seifer and Zell seemed just as eager to leave as he did and after being formally dismissed from duty, all three loaded up their SeeD-issue duffle bags into a jeep, climbed in, and were driven all the way to the airport. Sitting in the back seat with Zell, Squall couldn't help but be struck by how different it felt from when he had walked all the way back to the city by himself so many months ago when he had deserted. This felt better. He felt proud.

The flight itself felt short this time around. Of course, Squall had been asleep for most of it, Seifer complaining nonstop about how he used his shoulder for a pillow when he finally woke up. By then, they only had half an hour left in their flight so not even Seifer's griping could spoil his mood. Zell seemed to be of a similar opinion and talked nonstop about everything he was going to do as soon as he got back home. The man was taking a transfer flight out to Balamb so he still had a while before he would be able to get there. They promised to keep in touch but Squall still felt a little wistful at the thought of the two of them separating again. He was a good friend and over the past few months Squall had become accustomed to his company. As for Seifer, well, Seifer, as he had learned earlier lived in Twilight Town, so Squall was sure that they'd run into each other more than he would have liked. Sure, they were friends but too much time together and they'd be at each other's throats.

When the plane landed, Squall waved goodbye to them, Zell running off through the airport terminal to catch his next flight while Seifer headed for the bus station. Squall would have followed him but he had managed to remember Cloud's advice and instead made his way towards the pick-up area where cars and taxis were waiting to take travelers home.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped out, he was greeted with a recognizable face, though not the one he was expecting.

Chuckling, Cloud pushed himself up from where he was leaning back against a rental car and slowly walked over to him, "Surprised to see me?"

Squall frowned and slid his duffle bag off of his shoulder, "I thought you said that my probation officer would be waiting to pick me up."

"That's right, and he is." When Squall only blinked back at him, Cloud heaved a small sigh, a flash of annoyance crossing his face as if remembering something distasteful, "After all those damn court cases were finally over with, our department underwent some major restructuring. Axel was let back in and we were able to regain our partnership but with everything still so jumbled up and with Riku and Zexion running around unmonitored we had to make some fast decisions. And since our department's staff wasn't that large to begin with, we graciously volunteered our time. Besides, you guys need someone watching you who knows how to handle you…"

"So…what? You were assigned to me?"

"Axel was given Riku, Roxas has to watch Zexion, and, yeah, I got you."

"Is it _legal_ for Roxas to watch Zexion?"

"That's right, you haven't heard. After all that, Roxas decided it was time that he become a full-blown police officer so he's a beat cop now. And admittedly it might be a little above his skill level but we figured that out of all three of you Zexion would give us the least trouble."

Squall smirked. He wasn't so sure about that, but whatever. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

Cloud smirked back before Squall saw the man's eyes drifting down at his uniform. Straightening up, Squall couldn't help but point it out, "Like something you see?"

Chin bouncing back up, Cloud blushed for only half a second, just long enough for Squall to catch it, before a smug expression crossed over his face, "You look pretty sharp, I'll give you that. But you know what would really complete the outfit?" Squall narrowed his eyes in confusion and Cloud's smug look grew as he pulled something out of his jacket pocket, "A GPS tracking device." Stepping closer, Cloud knelt down in front of him and pulled up his pant leg, quickly snapping a heavy band around his ankle just above his boots. Damn it, he hadn't seen that coming. Noting Squall's expression as he stood back up, Cloud flicked his army cap with that self-satisfied look still on his face, "Welcome to probation."

Scowling, Squall shook his leg, his irritation mounting as the tracker added a strange weight to his foot, "What the hell is this?"

"So I can know where you're going. By the way, cut it off and you'll have ten squad cars on your ass in minutes. It's even waterproof so you have no excuse to need it taken off." Walking back over to the car, Cloud went around to the driver's side door and opened it up, "Now get in the car, convict, or I'll take back my surprise."

"What surprise?"

"Get over here and find out."

Too curious to resist, Squall walked over as Cloud slid into the driver's seat and opened the passenger door only to find a pair of familiar wide blue eyes, not even having time to take a breath before two smaller hands reached out and tugged him inside, "Squall, I missed you!"

As Sora threw himself at his older brother, Squall climbed fully into the passenger seat and closed the door before turning his attention to the grinning teen, "Sora!" Smiling as the teen gave him a tight hug, Squall ignored the soreness in his body and returned the gesture. Just from holding him, he could tell that Sora was healthier than when he had left, "I missed you too."

"Alright, seatbelts on. The faster we all get home, the better, right?"

Glaring at the detective, Squall nevertheless released his brother and turned around to sit properly in his seat, maneuvering the seatbelt into its proper place underneath his duffle bag which he had sitting on his lap. "You can't let me spend a few more seconds with the one person actually happy to see me back?"

Cloud shot him a glance as he turned the car on and pulled away from the curb, an annoyed frown on his face, "What, you think I'm not happy to see you in one piece?"

Squall shrugged. Admittedly the man had given him a look over but that had been right before he had slapped a tracking device onto his ankle. Not a terribly welcoming reception after five months, especially after the way they had separated. But maybe Squall had just been reading too much into that...

As they came to a still at a stop sign, Squall's looked up as Cloud's voice snapped through the car, a deep scowl on his face, "Sora, turn around."

"Don't tell Sora what to do. I-umph!"

He was silenced as Cloud grabbed his uniform by the collar and the man's mouth suddenly closed over his, a soft smile slipping across Squall's face as soon as the shock wore off. As Cloud's lips parted, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the moment as their kiss deepened, neither being gentle with the other. Maybe it wasn't such a bad homecoming after all.

Finally pulling away, Cloud turned to look straight back at the road as if to try and hide the heavy flush on his face as he accelerated again. Watching the blonde, Squall shook his head after a moment, "And you're supposed to be my probation officer?"

"Shut up! It's just," Cloud heaved a sigh, "it's just going to be really…complicated."

"It doesn't have to be—"

Squall was interrupted by a voice from the backseat, "—Can I look now?"

"Yes, Sora, you can look, and, yes, Leon, it does. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Cloud's clipped tone left no room for disagreement so Squall decided to leave it alone. For now. He wasn't quite sure what was going to happen next but whatever it was, he was sure that life wasn't going to get boring any time soon.


	22. New Story Notice

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No, unfortunately this isn't a new chapter, but it might be something better! I just wanted to let everyone know that I just uploaded the first chapter of "Take Back the City", the sequel to "The City is at War". It's pretty much going to be more of the same, except perhaps a slightly more far-fetched plot (including everything I thought for the first story but didn't include because it felt too out of place) but hopefully still somewhat realistic. ^^;

If you're interested, please check it out! And thank you for reading! You dudes rock!!

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